2018-07-18
Working visit of the Head of the Government of Georgia to Brussels started with a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) today.
Parties discussed all the key issues within the scope of the integration of Georgia to NATO, including the results of NATO Summit held in Brussels last week and ways to implement the decisions made at the milestone event.
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia discussed with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO the new areas of cooperation identified at the Brussels Summit. It was stressed that Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP), similar to the new areas of cooperation significantly increases the defense capacity and resistance of the country. It also brings the country closer to the accession to NATO.
It was noted that first working visit of the Prime Minister of Georgia to Brussels is an evidence that country is truly aspiring to get integrated with Europe and Euro-Atlantic structures and that this path is irreversible and irrevocable.
Head of the Government of Georgia and Secretary General of NATO also discussed the achievements made in the agenda of NATO-Georgia relationship and prospects of further deepening of the interaction. Attention was paid to the significant past and pending steps of the Government of Georgia towards approximation with the North Atlantic Alliance standards. Mamuka Bakhtadze assured the host in the readiness of the Georgian authorities in continuing the comprehensive reforms and political dialogue with the Alliance to maximize the accelerated accession of the country to NATO.
Secretary General of NATO once again noted the solid support of the Alliance towards the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. Also, Jens Stoltenberg thanked the Prime Minister of Georgia for the contribution of the country to the Euro-Atlantic security, especially in the current NATO operations in Afghanistan.
Meeting held at the Headquarters of NATO was attended by Rose Gottemoeller, Deputy Secretary General of NATO; James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Special Representative for Caucasus and Central Asia; David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; Levan Izoria, Minister of Defense of Georgia; Alexandre Maisuradze, Head of the Georgian Mission to NATO.
Meeting was followed with statements for media made by the Prime Minister of Georgia and Secretary General of NATO.
Prime Minister's Press Office