NATO recognises Georgia’s development progress

Senior Georgian officials praised NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's visit to the country.

The NATO Secretary General and North Atlantic Council acknowledged the progress made in Georgia, Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili told reporters.

"For us the most important news was NATO's recognition of the development progress made in the country. This is the greatest recognition on the part of the alliance," he said.

Security Council Secretary Georgi Bokeria also highlighted this visit. "The visit confirmed that Georgia will not change its intention to join the NATO," he told journalists.

Mr Bokeria stressed that the Georgian leadership knows what the barriers the country faced on its way to the Atlantic alliance. "But it does not change our desire to join NATO, which is a condition of Georgia's security and development," he said.

Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Vera Kobalia noted that Georgia's accession to NATO will not bring only political dividends, but also economic ones.

"It's not only security and democracy matters, as the NATO membership will provide a rapid economic development," she said.


/Trend/