Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze Meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met and held a joint press conference, during which they discussed the significance of the partnership between the Alliance and Georgia, underscoring Georgia's status as a close partner to NATO.
He highlighted the importance of Georgia being granted candidate country status by the European Union, noting that advancements in this direction would significantly influence the progress toward full membership in the Alliance.
"This direction continues to ensure stronger, democratic paths for integration, including the decision of Bucharest, which implies that Georgia will become a member state of the NATO alliance. The candidate status granted to Georgia will strengthen the prosperity aspirations and spirit in this direction in the country.
It is important that Georgia continues to strengthen local reforms, democratic values, and the rule of law, including free and open parliamentary elections this October," Stoltenberg said.
Kobakhidze expressed gratitude to NATO and the Secretary General for their support of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He emphasized Georgia's commitment to NATO and its active participation in operations under NATO's auspices, contributing significantly to Euro-Atlantic security. Kobakhidze also praised the Secretary General's leadership during challenging times and reaffirmed Georgia's dedication to NATO-Georgia cooperation and the integration process.
"Your 10-year tenure as Secretary General of NATO coincided with unprecedented challenges and difficulties. However, many challenges have been overcome under your leadership, and NATO remains the main guarantor of Euro-Atlantic security. I am glad that today we once again discussed the issues of NATO-Georgia cooperation and our integration process.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my special thanks to NATO and personally to the Secretary General for their support of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Also, we highly appreciate the Secretary General's timely and fair statements regarding the current events in the occupied territories of Georgia.
Georgia is one of the most loyal and reliable partners of the Alliance, which I would like to emphasize once again. For years, our country has actively participated in ongoing operations under the auspices of NATO, thereby making a significant contribution to strengthening Euro-Atlantic security," Kobakhidze stated.
