NATO sums up 2014 for Georgia
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Georgia made significant contributions to NATO-led operations and strengthened its relationship with the Alliance in 2014, said a top NATO official.
In his Annual Report of 2014, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, summed up the past 12 months of NATO activities.
Stoltenberg mentioned Georgia several times in report, focusing mainly on the country's aspirations towards joining the alliance.
"Our partner countries have been offered the opportunity to build detailed relationships with NATO. Enhanced opportunities under the initiative have been formally offered to Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden so far, considering their significant contributions to NATO-led operations,” he said.
Stoltenberg said NATO reaching out to partners, including Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to enable them to better meet security challenges in their own regions.
"These countries share our values and have chosen a European path,” he added.
Stolenberg said four NATO partner countries aspired to be a fully-fledged member of the alliance - Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
He also noted the NATO-offered substantial package to Georgia, which aims to help the country move closer to the union.
"NATO leaders have also agreed to develop a substantial package of measures with Georgia to help the country prepare for future NATO membership. The measures aim to strengthen the country's capabilities through defense capacity building, training, exercises and enhanced interoperability opportunities,” Stoltenberg said.
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