Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Further Georgian integration into the North Atlantic alliance (NATO) would have serious implications for relations between Russia and NATO, as well as for the European security, and the alliance should understand this, Russia's new envoy to NATO, Alexander Grushko told journalists in Brussels on Nov. 30, RIA Novosti reports.

Grushko was appointed as new permanent representative of Russia to NATO on Oct. 24 and took his office in Brussels on Nov. 27.

"Russia, in principle, considers the NATO policy of expansion as contrary to the logics of creating a cooperative security system in Europe. This policy only geographically shifts the delineations," Grushko believes.

According to Grushko, it would be totally unrealistic of NATO to expect Georgia's rapprochement policy with the alliance to somehow affect Russia's relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia and on the commitments to protect them.

Georgian relations with NATO were initiated in 1994 when Georgia joined Partnership for Peace program. The cooperation between the parties intensified after "rose revolution". In October 2004, the alliance began to cooperate with Georgia in the format of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP - Individual Partnership Action Plan). At the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in 2006 it was decided to start with Georgia an Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues.

In September 2008, NATO and Georgia established the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) to play a central role in supervising the process set in hand at the Bucharest Summit. Under the auspices of NATO-Georgia Commission Allied Foreign Ministers agreed that Georgia should develop an Annual National Programme (ANP) which would reflect Georgia's short- to medium-term strategy covering various issues, ranging from purely military reforms to foreign and security policy. Georgia perceives Annual National Programme as the practical tool for reflecting and implementing its strategy of advancing NATO-Georgia relations and getting closer to the NATO standards.

Georgia successfully implemented its first ANP and officially presented to the allies, in November 2009. At their meeting in December 2009 NATO Ministers welcomed the progress Georgia showed in a number of areas in implementing its ANP goals, welcomed the smooth transition from the Individual Partnership Action Plan to the ANP, and commended Georgia for the effective intra-governmental process coordinating reforms.