NATO's Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană welcomed Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, to the NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (6 December 2023). Mr Papuashvili attended a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission to discuss Georgia's domestic reforms and challenges to regional security.
The Deputy Secretary General stressed the importance of the NATO-Georgia political dialogue and practical cooperation, including the NATO-Georgia Commission and the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package designed to strengthen Georgia's ability to defend itself and advance its preparation for membership. He underscored the importance of Georgia's continued efforts towards comprehensive reforms. "Allied Leaders adopted a clear message, when they met in Vilnius last summer: to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Georgia must make progress on reforms, including democratic reforms, and make the best use of the Annual National Programme."
The Deputy Secretary General expressed his appreciation for Georgia's substantial contributions to NATO, including its "very significant troop contributions, and for the participation of boarding teams of the Georgian Coast Guard in Operation Sea Guardian." Mr Geoană also welcomed Georgia's recent progress on its Euro-Atlantic path. "I want to congratulate you on the European Commission's recommendation to grant Georgia the status of a candidate country. This is a momentous development," he said.
Mr Papuashvili was accompanied by the Chairman of the Defence and Security Committee of Georgia's Parliament, Irakli Beraia, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samkharadze, and Ketevan Turazashvili, an opposition Member of Parliament from the Political Group "Citizens'.
