Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has voiced his support for the Georgian-Russian dialogue, Georgian Prime Minister's special representative on Russian affairs, Zurab Abashidze, told reporters after meeting Rasmussen at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on May 22.

"The Secretary General listened very carefully to our thoughts on the Georgian-Russian relations and the negotiations that I have had with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, and what we have already achieved," Abashidze said. But he added that this process does not replace the Geneva format negotiations, in which the UN, OSCE and EU act as mediators.

Georgia's bilateral relations with NATO were established in 1994 when the country joined the Partnership for Peace program (PfP). In September 2008, NATO and Georgia established the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) to oversee NATO's assistance to Georgia following the conflict with Russia and to play a central role in supervising the process set in hand at the Bucharest Summit. In December 2008, Allied foreign ministers agreed that Georgia should develop an Annual National Program under the auspices of the NGC. In this framework, the alliance is maximizing its advice, assistance and support for Georgia's reform efforts, in particular, in the field of democratic, institutional and defense reforms.

Georgia as a significant contributor to Euro-Atlantic security is closely involved in NATO-led operations and its contribution to the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan is of significant importance. Currently, Georgia is the second largest troop contributor to Afghanistan among the non-NATO states.