NATO Secretary General Meets with Georgian MPs in Tbilisi

TBILISI - Following a meeting with Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ambassadors from the Western alliance’s member states met with Georgian Parliament members and Speaker David Usupashvili on Thursday.

In his opening remarks, Stoltenberg said the presence of the North Atlantic Council in Georgia is an expression of the strong importance NATO attaches to Georgia and its future membership.

“The North Atlantic Council’s visit to Georgia sends a very important message to the world,” he said while meeting Georgian parliamentarians.

The upcoming October parliamentary elections will be an important benchmark for Georgia’s democratic standards, NATO officials said on the sidelines of the meeting. NATO Chief called on members of Parliament for active engagement in strengthening Georgia’s democratic institutions.

“Your reform efforts are important for the people of Georgia and as a means to help Georgia meet the standards required for becoming a member of NATO. We pledge that we will continue to work closely with the Georgian government to help prepare your country for future NATO membership,” Stoltenberg said.

Usupashvili reiterated that full membership is the only thing absent from the current relations. Otherwise, Georgia and NATO are “effectively working together and discussing global security issues by allowing Georgia to be a fully-fledged participant in all NATO activities.”

“The question is not about ‘yes or no’ on NATO membership, but which way is the quickest and most effective,” Usupashvili said.

Later on Thursday, Stoltenberg will meet with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili before ending his two-day official visit to the small South Caucasus nation. 

By Tamar Svanidze

Edited by Nicholas Waller