NATO ministers discuss support of Georgia and Ukraine
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
A meeting of NATO foreign ministers was held in Bucharest. At the meeting, the ministers discussed the issue of support for the countries of the Balkans and the Black Sea region.
Before the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that after the decision taken at the Bucharest summit, the alliance has strengthened its partnership with both Georgia and Ukraine.
"We made a decision regarding the membership of Ukraine and Georgia right here at the NATO summit in Bucharest. I was also there then, as the Prime Minister of Norway. I remember this meeting very well. I am glad that since then we have strengthened our partnership with both Georgia and Ukraine. I expect the foreign ministers to repeat that NATO's door remains open. We have demonstrated that we fulfill the decision taken at the Bucharest summit not only in words, but also with actions," Stoltenberg said.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also attended the ministerial meeting. As he noted, in addition to the alliance, the Black Sea region is also of strategic and vital importance to the United States.
According to Blinken the US will strengthen NATO's presence from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.
"The Black Sea region is of strategic and vital importance for us and for NATO. In this region we have three allies and also two close partners: Georgia and Ukraine. Russia has turned certain areas of the Black Sea into a war zone. We see missiles launched from ships in the direction of Ukrainian cities. Also the blocking of Ukrainian ports by Russia, which caused the most serious - a food crisis. We will strengthen NATO's presence from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. The Black Sea region is a critically important component of NATO's defense and strategy," said the Secretary of State.
After the meeting held in Bucharest, NATO foreign ministers issued a joint statement. The statement also mentions the support of Georgia and mentions that the foreign ministers are committed to the open door policy of the alliance.
"The Western Balkans and Black Sea regions are of strategic importance to the Alliance. We welcome our meeting with the foreign ministers of NATO partners Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova as NATO steps up tailored support to build their integrity and resilience, build capacity and protect their political independence. We are very committed to the Alliance's open door policy. We confirm our decisions we made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and all subsequent decisions regarding Georgia and Ukraine," the statement reads.
