President Awards Golden Fleece Order to Rose Gottemoeller
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece to the NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller at Friday's meeting in Georgia's coastal city of Batumi.
Before handing over the award, Zurabishvili addressed the Deputy Secretary General and the audience, noting that Gottemoeller had dedicated her entire life to peace.
"Our cooperation is aimed at strengthening peace in this region, which is increasingly important in today's world. What you have done to support Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and to enhance NATO's support for Georgia, is clear in an extraordinary year for Georgia-NATO relations. I think that awarding you today is a way for Georgia to recognize you as a friend of Georgia. I want to say on behalf of the people of Georgia that you are and will remain a friend of our nation. We will always welcome you in Batumi as well as in other parts of the country. It is a sign that our cooperation with NATO is a direction that should continue, be strengthened and lead us to the ultimate goal,” she said.
In turn, Rose Gottemoeller thanked President Zurabishvili for the award and emphasized that she is looking forward to the day when Georgia will become a member of the Alliance.
“I want to thank Mrs. President and the Government of Georgia. I am honored to have such a prestigious Order. NATO's unique partnership with Georgia is 30 years old and during that period, our ties have only deepened. Georgia will become a NATO member one day and I am looking forward to that day," she said, adding that Georgia is one of the largest contributors to non-NATO countries in Afghanistan.
The Order of the Golden Fleeceis an honor awarded by the Government of Georgia. It was established in 1998 and comes next in rank to the Order of St. Nicholas. The Order is named after the mythical Golden Fleece, which was held in Colchis in what is now western Georgia.
By Ana Dumbadze
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