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The News in Brief

Monday, April 30
By Mariam Chanishvili

Stoltenberg says Georgia's progress will be noted at NATO summit

Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg noted during a briefing at the end of the last week that NATO appreciates Georgia's contribution to missions and operations .

"We welcome Georgia's progress towards alliance membership and I hope that the summit will note this progress. I also welcome the fact that we have a lot of different ways to strengthen our partnership,” he said.

He also stated that Georgia's progress in North-Atlantic integration will be noted at NATO summit in July, “but we have not yet decided in what form it will be noted”.

"Georgia is a very close partner of NATO. We are carrying out different kinds of activities to ensure practical and political support to Georgia. I think all our members express their decisive support for membership of Georgia and will continue to render practical and political support," the Secretary General said.



Representatives of opposition parties meet Saakashvili in Amsterdam

Several leaders of opposition parties of Georgia met ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in Netherlands over the weekend.

The formation of an opposition union was discussed during the closed meeting.

Video footage of the meeting was published by Rustavi 2.

“Georgia is in danger. Nowadays the oligarch [referring to ex-Prime Minister, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili] is an informal owner of Georgia and not a ruler. He is trying to turn the people living in Georgia into slaves and deprive them of their property and dignity,” Saakashvili said.

Among those who attended the event were: Mamuka Gamkrelidze - "New Unity for Georgia", Bachuki Kardava - "National Democratic Party", Paata Davitaia - "European Democrats of Georgia", Nika Melia - "United National Movement", Shota Malashkhia - "United National Movement - More Benefit to People" and a few others.