NATO Deputy Secretary General Comments on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic Integration

NATO sees no difference in the positions of Georgia’s previous and new governments about the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Deputy Secretary General of NATO Alexander Vershbow said on March 29.

In an interview with the Ekho Mosvky radio station, Vershbow reiterated that NATO was committed to the 2008 Bucharest summit that Georgia would one day join the alliance.

“But of course Georgia has to continue to demonstrate the commitment to democratic reform and of course to show that it can be a positive contributor to peace and security in the region and globally,” Vershbow said. “They are going through an interesting experience of political cohabitation and recently they seem to have made some progress with some agreements on constitutional amendments.”

Asked whether Georgia’s current government was continuing to pursue NATO integration path, Vershbow responded: “Absolutely, we see no difference in the position of the new government from the previous.”

“They passed a parliamentary resolution that was adopted unanimously that Georgia’s destiny is Euro-Atlantic integration,” he said.

Vershbow said that NATO was also committed to its open door policy.

“Enlargement is still our policy – we have four candidates: Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia; what will happen that depends on their own actions and their own policies,” the NATO Deputy Secretary General said.

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