NATO Summit Declaration Calls for Continued Reforms in Georgia

A NATO Riga summit declaration has reaffirmed that alliance member states will continue the Intensified Dialogue with Georgia and will encourage the Georgian authorities to continue in its reform process.

“We reaffirm that the Alliance will continue with Georgia and Ukraine its Intensified Dialogues which cover the full range of political, military, financial, and security issues relating to those countries? aspirations to membership, without prejudice to any eventual Alliance decision,” the Riga Summit declaration, issued by the heads of states participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on 29 November, states.

?We welcome the commencement of an Intensified Dialogue with Georgia as well as Georgia?s contribution to international peacekeeping and security operations.  We will continue to engage actively with Georgia in support of its reform process.  We encourage Georgia to continue progress on political, economic and military reforms, including strengthening judicial reform, as well as the peaceful resolution of outstanding conflicts on its territory.  We reaffirm that it is of great importance that all parties in the region should engage constructively to promote regional peace and stability,? the declaration states.

The declaration also notes that the alliance ?regrets the persistence of regional conflicts in the South Caucasus? and supports ?continued efforts to achieve peaceful settlements to the conflicts.?

Hailing the March 31, 2006 Russo-Georgian agreement on the pullout of Russian military bases from Georgia, the Riga Summit declaration also stressed that the final fulfillment of the remaining Istanbul commitments by Russia in respect to Georgia and Moldova ?will create the conditions for Allies and other States Parties to move forward on ratification of the Adapted CFE Treaty.?

At a news conference after the summit, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said that the alliance has encouraged Georgia, ?which made a tremendous efforts? on its way of reforms.

?But in terms of invitations the countries in the Balkans [Albania, Croatia, Macedonia] are further along in that process and those are the ones that could be expecting to have an invitation by the summit of 2008. It will be too early yet for Georgia at that time, but the encouragement is certainly there,? the Latvian President said.

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