Tbilisi. I am looking forward to a future in which
Georgia is in the Alliance - NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
stated at the NATO-Georgia Commission session, in Brussels, on Wednesday, June
5.
The Commission session was held on the
sidelines of the NATO Defence Ministers' meeting in Brussels.
"Stable, democratic Georgia belongs
in the Euro-Atlantic community. I look forward to a future in which Georgia is
in the Alliance. The decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Bucharest still
stand. Georgia will become a member of NATO provided it meets the requirements
for membership," Rasmussen stressed in his opening remarks.
In his words, Georgia is NATO's special
partner, which is willing to become a member of the Alliance.
"We greatly appreciate the active
support that Georgia has made to our operations - past and present. We greatly value the professionalism and the
courage of Georgian troops. And we honor their sacrifice. These efforts are all the more impressive
given the demanding defence reforms that Georgia is now undertaking,"
Rasmussen stressed.
According to the NATO Secretary General,
NATO has been cooperating in Georgia in the processes of implementation of its
reforms and the Alliance members are ready to support Georgia and share their experience
with it.
"We are looking to the Georgian
government to respect the rule of law, human rights and the rights of
minorities. And we encourage Georgia to continue key reforms and to conduct
free and fair presidential elections later this year," the Secretary
General said.
NATO Secretary General reiterated his firm
support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.