Georgia will not join NATO next year as it was earlier stated by President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian defense minister said on Monday, Sept 9.
RIA Novosti In an interview with Russian magazine Kommersant Vlast, Defense Minister Irakly Alasaniya said it was “unrealistic” that Georgia would join the military bloc next year, denying Saakashvili’s pledge in 2012 that the country would obtain NATO membership in 2014.
The minister also said that Georgia prepares for withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan and was ready to take part in other NATO-led military operations.
Georgia is an aspirant for NATO membership. It contributes to NATO-led operations and cooperates with the Allies and other partner countries in many other areas.
At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, Allied Heads of State and Government agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO. This decision was subsequently reconfirmed at successive NATO summits in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
In September 2008, NATO and Georgia established the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) to oversee NATO’s assistance to Georgia following the conflict with Russia and to play a central role in supervising the process set in hand at the Bucharest Summit. In December 2008, Allied foreign ministers agreed that Georgia should develop an Annual National Program under the auspices of the NGC. In this framework, the Alliance is maximizing its advice, assistance and support for Georgia’s reform efforts, in particular in the field of democratic, institutional and defense reforms.
Georgia is currently the largest non-NATO troop contributor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and continues to serve as a transit country for ISAF supplies. The country has also indicated its willingness to participate in the post-2014 follow-on mission to train and assist Afghan security forces, after the transition to Afghan full security responsibility is completed at the end of 2014, when ISAF’s mission will end. Georgia also supports Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s counter-terrorist maritime surveillance operation in the Mediterranean.
In all, 29 Georgian servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan since 2009, when Georgia joined the NATO-led force fighting Taliban in the war-torn Central Asian country.
