PM: Georgia makes important step towards NATO

Georgia, Tbilisi, May 24 / Trend N.Kirtzkhalia / Georgia has made a major step towards integration into NATO, Prime Minister of Georgia Nika Gilauri said on Thursday commenting on the NATO summit in Chicago at a meeting of the Government of Georgia. Gilauri stressed that "this summit was important in terms of approximation of Georgia to NATO." "I think it was one of the most important steps taken by Georgia. It is important that Georgia has become an aspirant country, along with three Balkan countries. Noteworthy that Georgia as part of the NATO summit attended all three meetings: NATO + members, NATO - aspirants, and NATO - mission members in Afghanistan," the prime minister said. He said it is important that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a statement that the summit was the last, where the expansion has not occurred, and at the next summit of NATO number of member countries is expected to increase, and focus will be on aspirant countries , one of which is Georgia. Gilauri said statement by NATO Secretary General was also important, according to which the summit in Chicago is last of the summits, where the number of members of the alliance has not increased. The Georgian delegation at the NATO summit, which took place on May 20-21, attended a meeting with key partners in the format 28+13, with the future members, the so-called aspirant countries in the format 28+4 and with countries involved in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan in the format 28 + ISAF. The declaration of the Chicago summit officially says that Georgia is an aspirant student and the NATO remains faithful to the decisions of the Bucharest summit. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen congratulated Georgia on the progress made in implementing the reforms. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az