Speaking at the National Parliamentary Library Tbilisi in Georgia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: “I welcome closer cooperation between the different countries in the coalition fighting ISIL [Daesh] and especially between U.S and Turkey because they are key in the fight against ISIL to NATO allies”.
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Stoltenberg praised Georgia’s efforts to improve its democracy, rule of law and judiciary and he encouraged the country to continue implementing fundamental reforms to prepare for alliance membership.
However, he didn’t give any indication of when the former Soviet republic could expect a membership in the military alliance.
“For NATO and NATO allies, it is important to have close contact with partner countries like Ukraine and Georgia – being non-NATO members but NATO partners – and to dialogue with them regarding our increased presence in the Black Sea”, the NATO chief added. “This will take time and it will require patience”, Stoltenberg added. Photo by the President’s webpage.
The NATO is unanimous in supporting Georgia in this direction, the Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske quoted Stoltenberg as saying.
During the visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Sept.8-9 to Turkey, Ankara and NATO may discuss the closure of the airspace in northern Syria over the territories liberated from the “Islamic State” (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) militants, a source in the Turkish Armed Forces told Trend Sept. 6.
Georgia’s accession to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation “is the firm will of the Georgian people, and the government is doing everything possible to implement the people’s choice”, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said at the open part of the Commission meeting.
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Vershbow replied that he was honoured to receive the state award, particularly as it was awarded to him the same year as Georgia marked the 25th anniversary of its independence.
