Stoltenberg: Georgia Implementing ‘Impressive Reforms’

Jens Stoltenberg and Kurt Volker at a town hall meeting at George Washington University on April 13, 2017. Photo: NATO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg touched upon Georgia’s NATO aspirations on April 13 at a town hall meeting on the role and the future of the Alliance at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Responding to the question of former U.S. NATO Representative and the meeting moderator Kurt Volker on NATO enlargement, Jens Stoltenberg, who visited the United States on April 12-13, stated that Georgia is implementing “impressive reforms, strengthening their democratic institutions, modernizing their defense institutions, structures and fighting corruption.”

“And all of this is – partly at least – because of their aspiration to join NATO,” Stoltenberg added.

The NATO Secretary General underlined that these reforms are “good” for Georgia because the country “moves closer to NATO” and because it “should be able to fight corruption and to strengthen democratic institutions” even if the aim is not to move closer to NATO.

Georgia, Jens Stoltenberg went on, has a “double reason” to implement reforms “since the country is aiming for NATO membership.” “And we support them, NATO supports them with this reform process.”

Stoltenberg also noted that “NATO’s door is open” and that “the enlargement or whether NATO is going to have more members is up to the applicant country to decide and the 28 or soon to be 29 Members.”

“No one else has the right to intervene or to say that they do not accept that a new country become a NATO member,” he concluded.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)