The NATO Foreign Ministers underlined the progress in the cooperation with Georgia and the partners from the Gulf region
02 April 2014 News
"The steady progress of Georgia in implementing reforms and its firm commitment to the Euro-Atlantic values and standards show that the time is due to raise the level of the country’s relations with the Alliance" by granting it a Membership Action Plan, said Minister Vigenin at the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, which was held on the second day of the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meetings in Brussels.
At the meeting with Minister Maia Panjikidze, the foreign ministers of the member states underlined the achievements of Georgia towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on current issues, related to the security in the region. The NATO members confirmed their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.
At the meeting in format Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), involving the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the development of the cooperation with the four partner countries of the Persian Gulf was discussed. This was the first meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers, since the establishment of ICI in 2004, which sent a strong political signal about the progress of the cooperation and the ministers also marked the 10th anniversary of this partnership format.
The last on the agenda of the two-day meeting of the foreign ministers was a meeting of the North Atlantic Council with the non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nations. Along with the progress of ISAF, at the focus of the meeting were the Afghan presidential and provincial council elections scheduled on 5 April 2014. The ministers urged for credible, inclusive and transparent elections whose outcome will establish a legitimate presidential power in Kabul. The countries pointed out the need to finalize the US-Afghan Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement, as a condition to reach an agreement with NATO and for timely preparation of the post-2014 NATO mission to provide training, advice and assistance.