Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

NATO has decided to make public the introductory part of the proposed "Substantial NATO-Georgia Package" with Georgia.

The parenthetical part of the package covers almost the whole package, envisaging to help Georgia in its preparations for NATO entry and giving it a status of aspirant country.

Preamble of the "Substantial NATO-Georgia Package" envisages that Foreign Ministers of the ally countries agreed on the development of a "substantial package" for Georgia during the meeting on June 25, 2014. The aim of the measures specified in the package is to increase Georgia's defensibility which will help it in preparations to enter NATO based on the Bucharest Summit's final decision and NATO's open doors policy.

The mentioned package is developed and realized within the NATO-Georgia Commission, which plays the leading role in supervision for the process started in Bucharest in order to help Georgia in preparations for NATO membership. Georgia, as an aspirant country, will represent the elements of the package in its subsequent annual national programs.

Allies are recommended to take into consideration the measures envisaged in the package while providing a bilateral assistance to Georgia.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said the country's army was closer to NATO standards than it has ever been.

"We are taking care of our soldiers. We increased the salary of the Armed Forces' members by 20-25 percent in 2013. Maximal support to the families of the deceased soldiers is our duty," Garibashvili noted.

He added that the compensation to the families of soldiers who died in a war for Georgia's integrity and independence and who lost lives in international missions is about $285 today and it will be increased to $570 in 2015. Moreover, one-time compensations to the families of soldiers died during international missions was increased from $8,550 to $57,000.