- Title: GEORGIA: NATO reiterates support for Georgia membership
- Date: 1st May 2014
- Summary: TBILISI, GEORGIA (MAY 1, 2014) (REUTERS) NATO SECRETARY GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA, JAMES APPATHURAI, SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE GEORGIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) NATO SECRETARY GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA, JAMES APPATHURAI, SAYING: "We took a decision in Bucharest and we have said since then that what Russia says or does will not influence our decisions. They do not get a veto over what we say and what we want and what we do when it comes to membership, that includes (for) this country. We have consistently assessed Georgia's progress based on two things: reform and Georgia's contribution to international peace and security. And those will remain the prisms through which we look at this process. In other words, we will judge Georgia on Georgia's merits and regardless of what's happening elsewhere, regardless of the comments from Kremlin or elsewhere, we continue to use those as parameters for discussion." FLAG AND GEORGIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY AGAINST WALL CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) NATO SECRETARY GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA, JAMES APPATHURAI, SAYING: "What can Russia do to derail it? Well, we have already seen what happened in the territories, but it hasn't derailed that. The commitment that was made in Bucharest continues to be made. We are now looking of course at next steps at bringing Georgia even closer to NATO and to meeting its goals, our shared commitment. Georgia will become a NATO member." FLAG AGAINST WALL PEOPLE LEAVING CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 16th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Georgia
- Country: Georgia
- Reuters ID: LVA92RXBB0SNRWNABL3SZAZYYICK
- Story Text: NATO said it was looking at steps to bring Georgia "even closer" on Thursday (May 1), as the alliance reasserted its pledge that the Caucasus country would become one of its members in the future.
NATO's Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, told a news conference in Tbilisi that NATO was assessing the progress Georgia had made.
Appathurai added any decision on membership would not be influenced by external parties or events.
"What Russia says or does will not influence our decisions," Appathurai told the media after meeting with Georgia's foreign minister. "They do not get a veto over what we say and what we want and what we do when it comes to membership, that includes (for) this country.
"We have consistently assessed Georgia's progress based on two things: reform and Georgia's contribution to international peace and security. And those will remain the prisms through which we look at this process. In other words, we will judge Georgia on Georgia's merits and regardless of what's happening elsewhere, regardless of the comments from Kremlin or elsewhere, we continue to use those as parameters for discussion," he said.
Georgia's ambition of joining NATO has effectively been on hold since the 2008 war with Russia, but the Ukraine crisis has put back on the agenda the question of whether the nation of 4.5 million people might eventually be admitted into the Atlantic alliance.
The United States and the EU have stepped up support for other former Soviet republics in a tug-of-war with Moscow.
Last week, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said NATO would work out steps for closer cooperation with Georgia before a September summit, but signalled that membership of the alliance and of the EU would remain off the cards for a long while to come.
Appathurai reiterated that pledge: "we are now looking of course at next steps at bringing Georgia even closer to NATO and to meeting its goals, our shared commitment. Georgia will become a NATO member," he said, although he did not set out a time line for the accession. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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