Georgian President, NATO SG meet in Brussels

President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met during the NATO Summit in Brussels on July 12, discussing “close partnership” between the Alliance and Georgia.

Stoltenberg said at the joint press conference following the meeting that cooperation between NATO and Georgia is “stronger than ever,” and that Georgia is one of the Alliance’s “most important operational partners and a trusted friend.”

“Georgia will become a member of NATO. Allied leaders reaffirmed this yesterday, and we will continue to work with you to prepare for membership,” Stoltenberg told Margvelashvili.

He also hailed Georgia’s continuing contribution to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, and the country’s commitment to match the NATO guideline of spending 2% of GDP on defense.

Secretary General reiterated the Alliance’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, “which includes the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”

President Margvelashvili, on his part, thanked the Secretary General for “putting so much effort to advancing Georgia’s future in the Euro-Atlantic community.”

“My position, which is shared by many of our friends and allies is that the Georgian people with their capabilities, commitment, and burden sharing approach, do deserve fast-forward to the Alliance,” Margvelashvili said.

He further underscored that the engagement of Georgia, which is “enhancing the NATO-Black Sea security dialogue,” would bring “more stability and security to the region.”

President Margvelahsvili leads the Georgian delegation at the NATO Summit in Brussels on July 11-12. Today, Margvelashvili will also meet with the NATO heads of State and Government, which will be followed by adoption of the NATO-Georgia declaration.

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