Azernews.Az

Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze said that NATO statements about the success of the Georgian Armed Forces are encouraging.

These estimates testify to the fact that Georgia will be able to join the NATO Response Force due to the reforms conducted in 2012, she said.

A high level of training of Georgian servicemen shows that they do not yield to those in other countries and trained upon NATO standards, she said.

Georgia has participated in international missions of the NATO in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Georgia also expressed its willingness to participate in the operations in Mali.

Georgia is currently a candidate for NATO membership and the U.S. is actively supporting its membership bid. Accession to NATO is one of the top foreign policy priorities of Georgia. Soon after the declaration of independence, Georgia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council.

Georgia's bilateral relations with NATO were established in 1994 when the country joined the Partnership for Peace program (PfP). At the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in 2006 it was decided to launch Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues with the South Caucasus republic.