Georgia will become a NATO member country, the NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted as part of his visit to Tbilisi.
"The Bucharest Summit decision of 2008 remains in force. Georgia will join the NATO. I would expect the NATO summit in Lisbon to reaffirm our position, which we took already in Bucharest in 2008, that Georgia will become a member of NATO once Georgia fulfills the necessary criteria," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
The North Atlantic Alliance will assist Georgia to meet the NATO standards. NATO membership conditions include requirements that potential members are functioning democracies with market economies that are committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Rasmussen expressed hopes the NATO-Georgia efforts in this respect will bring real results.
The Georgian government and the business sector consider the visit to be of crucial importance from the political and economic points of view. President Saakashvili said that NATO membership remained a top priority for his government. "It's not just about NATO, it's about Georgia being free, whole and independent," he said.
The Georgian parliament's chairman says the visit is considered to be a direct signal the Georgia-NATO relations are being developed as part of the Bucharest Summit obligations. The visit signifies Georgia will join the Alliance. The NATO membership will make the business-doing safer in Georgia. The NATO membership will bring security, reduce political risks and investors will be able to take bolder decisions. |
