NATO envoy: No new requirements for Georgia's accession
By Sabina Idayatova
There are no new requirements and tests for Georgia's accession to
NATO, the alliance's special envoy for the South Caucasus told
journalists on Wednesday, Azerbaijani news agency Trend
reports.
James Appathurai noted that there is only one requirement - to continue reforms to achieve NATO standards.
"The latest election was a difficult test, but it was passed. The next test, which is part of the same process, is peaceful co-existence of political parties. It isn't a new one. There must be a functional government, which is considered to be a basic standard for NATO," Appathurai said.
He regarded the appointment of a new Armed Forces Chief of the Joint Staff as "encouraging".
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili introduced the new Chief of Joint Staff, Colonel Irakli Dzneladze at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze has also emphasized peaceful co-existence of political parties in the country.
"I called the appointment of a new Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, which took place precisely on the basis of consensus and the peaceful co-existence of political parties, as an example of it," Panjikidze said after a NATO ministerial held on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said after a meeting of the NATO-Russia commission that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia was discussed.
"We continued to talk about how the country [Georgia] should move forward on the path of integration into the alliance by strengthening democratic institutions, shaping the armed forces and contributing to the protection of security," Clinton said.