NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on December 2 following the Foreign Ministerial that the Allies and Georgia have approved an updated Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP).
The statement came after Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met with the Allies at the special online Ministerial session to discuss the security situation in the Black Sea region.
Great to have FM @DmytroKuleba 🇺🇦 and @DZalkaliani 🇬🇪 participating in today’s meeting of #NATO Foreign Ministers, discussing inter alia Black Sea security. Both countries are among
NATO’s closest and most active partners. We highly appreciate our partnership. pic.twitter.com/DQUE0NZzQt— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) December 2, 2020
“Just the fact that we had now this meeting at ministerial level sends a very clear message of support. It demonstrates the strong political support from all NATO Allies to Georgia, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the fact that we provide both political support but also practical support,” Secretary General told reporters.
He stated that by refreshing the SNGP, the Alliance will be stepping up its political support to Georgia, adding that the Foreign Ministers also agreed on further steps to improve situational awareness in the region.
Noting that “Russia continues to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and Ukraine,” the Secretary General said NATO is responding by strengthening their presence on land, at sea and in the air, and will further increase practical support to both countries.
Discussing the Ministerial session and updated SNGP details with Georgian media, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said new practical components have been added to the Package, including extending the capacities of the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center, increased number of port calls by NATO allies, intensified exercises, and expanded cooperation in the medical sector.
The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package has enhanced Georgia’s interoperability with #NATO since 2014. #NATO Foreign Ministers have just endorsed its ‘Refresh’. The German-led MMCC/EMC will lead the new Military Medical Capacity Development initiative. https://t.co/wWIMZf1NSy pic.twitter.com/t043QBr5HD
— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) December 2, 2020
“It also includes secure communication, which is of utmost importance for us to meet NATO standards and have secure communication channels with NATO. In today’s world, as we are facing cyberattacks and various hybrid threats, strengthening this element is very important in the context of NATO integration,” top Georgian diplomat added.
FM Zalkaliani concluded that the NATO Foreign Ministerial in this regard had a “tangible result,” which strengthens Georgia’s resilience, defense capabilities and increases its compatibility with the Alliance.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)