President assesses the Wales Summit
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, September 9
In assessing the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili admitted that prior to their arrival in Wales, the Georgian delegation had determined some important goals in terms of Georgia’s integration into NATO. The first goal was to be recognized for the country’s huge contribution to global security.
“Our allies appreciated the steps we have made – the democratic changes that have been carried out in our country, the effective reforms carried out at the Ministry of Defence, as well as the contribution and heroism of our soldiers within the ISAF mission. Now we have taken a position beside Finland, Sweden, Australia and Jordan – those five nations having closer cooperation with the Alliance,” Margvelashvili said.
The president stressed that the delegation left the NATO summit with a package of tools that will not only propel Georgia forward, but will make Georgia and the whole region more secure and safe, because very specific formats of cooperation have been determined, including the growth of our defensibility.
“All these tools will provide for the security of our country before becoming a full-fledged member of NATO. I would also like to stress the support we have enjoyed from our allies for Georgia’s territorial integrity and for our approach towards the conflict regions,” Margvelashvili said.
The parliamentary minority regarded the package as very important. However, according to UNM MP Gigi Tsereteli, most important is the implementation of NATO demands by the Georgian government.
Political analysts share the opinion that the package shows how the alliance members appreciate Georgia’s continuous moves towards the alliance. However, they stress that in a critical situation the package will not provide any real support and security to Georgia.
“If Russia decides to carry out aggression against Georgia, we will still have to stand alone against Russia,” analyst Mamuka Areshidze said.
