NATO Secretary General Meets with Georgian President

Visiting NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi on November 4.

The Secretary General said at a joint news conference with the Georgian President after the talks that ?the NATO will assist? Georgia in reforms, which will help the country to become a member of the alliance.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that he is a realist and an optimist in this regard, but added that he will ?not talk about the dates? of Georgia?s possible accession into NATO. He said that Georgia has a long way to go.

President Saakashvili said Georgia ?is more and more approaching NATO.?

?But do not ask when we will become NATO members. You won?t get  an answer on this question. But it will happen sooner than many might suppose,? Mikheil Saakashvili said.

?When this happens, I might be still sitting in this office,? he added, referring to his presidential term, which comes up for re-election in 2009.

The NATO Secretary General, who is paying a one-day visit to Georgia as a part of his trip to the South Caucasus countries, said implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) is of vital importance for Georgia.

NATO approved Georgia?s IPAP on October 29. The plan establishes specific defense reform goals for Georgia which will be implemented through help from NATO.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that his trip to the South Caucasus states is ?bringing into practice? the NATO Istanbul Summit decisions over focusing on the Central Asia and Caucasus regions.

To implement this decision, Robert Simmons, a special representative for these two regions, has been appointed.  Simmons is also NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Security Cooperation and Partnership. In addition, two NATO liaison officers, who will be in close cooperation with the NATO?s special envoy, will be permanently stationed in each of the two regions.

The NATO Secretary General also said that Russia should follow its 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit commitment and disband its remaining military bases in Georgia.

Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgia has ?a firm position? in this regard and also called Moscow to pull out its military bases.

But Saakashvili also reiterated that Georgia does not intend to host any foreign country?s military bases on its soil.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer reiterated NATO?s support for Georgia?s territorial integrity and called for a peaceful solution to the Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts.

The Georgian president said that Tbilisi is ?ready for a compromise. But not at the expense of Georgia?s territorial integrity.?

?No one should expect that it will be possible to change our fundamental foreign policy course by mounting pressure on us. But I also want to say that good relations with Russia is also a part of our fundamental foreign policy course,? Mikheil Saakashvili added.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will also meet with Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze.