North Atlantic Council to Visit Georgia in September

TBILISI - The North Atlantic Council (NAC) will visit Georgia on September 7-8, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced at a government meeting on Wednesday.

The Council, which is chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will arrive on September 7 to attend a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission in the capital Tbilisi as well as a one-to-one with Kvirikashvili.

“This proves the North Atlantic Alliance‘s unparalleled support for Georgia,” Giorgi Kvirikashvili said.

The NATO officials and Stoltenberg will also meet Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Parliamentary Chair David Usupashvili.

The NATO-Georgian commission was first launched in September 2008, less than a month after Russia invaded Georgia during the five-day August War.

"During the visit, the Warsaw Summit results may be discussed. The country's progress regarding democratic and economic reforms will also be addressed. This will be a very important visit. The NAC is the main decision-making body in the NATO alliance, hence this visit carries particular importance," Kvirikashvili said.

At the Warsaw Summit in early July, the alliance pledged to help support Georgia’s crisis management capabilities and improvements in strategic communications and said it would provide additional aid for the development of Georgia’s air defense and surveillance capabilities.

During the visit, Stoltenberg is expected to deliver a speech at the National Library.

By Tamar Svanidze

Edited by Nicholas Waller