Interfax-Military
February 26, 2014
Tbilisi welcomes U.S. readiness to back NATO accession plan for Georgia
TBILISI: Georgian Foreign Ministry Maia Panjikidze has called “a pleasant surprise” the statement by the United States Department of State in favor of giving a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia, an Interfax correspondent said on Wednesday.
“The U.S. clearly acknowledge the success of our government in the cause of our integration with NATO, as well as the achievements in the country’s democratization, which could become a good help for Georgia getting the MAP,” she said.
Panjikidze was commenting on the reply by the State Department to a letter from 40 senators calling for the Obama administration to support the awarding of a MAP to Georgia at the NATO summit in the United Kingdom.
Georgia continues advancing its reforms. “We admire the way Georgia organized its presidential election in 2013 and note its participation in NATO activities, in particular, in the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan. In this and other spheres Georgia has proved being a functional and loyal partner,” the State Department said in its letter.
At the upcoming summit Georgia should receive a NATO membership action plan, the State Department said.
“We believe Georgia deserves trust based on the progress it has achieved and on the responsible attitude it shows toward NATO operations and standards. We support Georgia’s aspiration to reach an agreement with NATO and obtain a MAP,” the U.S. State Department said.
The State Department’s statement was timed to coincide with the visit to Washington by a Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Panjikidze said.
Georgia is waiting to be given a MAP setting a clear timeframe for the country’s accession to the alliance, Garibashvili said before the Atlantic Council on Tuesday.
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