NATO announces conditions for Georgia's joining the Alliance

The member-countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have supported the Georgia's right to join the Alliance. The preconditions for this are national reforms and the enforcement of NATO's standards and principles.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Georgia is actively striving to join the NATO. The rapprochement with the Alliance has been among the country's foreign policy priorities for at least 25 years. The membership therein will make Georgia feel more secure and allow stabilizing relations with Russia, political analysts believe.

On June 14, at the NATO summit, its leaders reiterated their support of Georgia's and Ukraine's right to join the Alliance, but did not announce any deadline for receiving the "roadmap", the RIA "Novosti" reports.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, made a separate mentioning of Georgia. "We have clearly stated that Georgia will become a NATO member, although no specific date has been set and will not be discussed. We are focused on reforms, we continue supporting Georgia and strengthening its defence and security institutions," the "News-Georgia" has quoted him as saying.

In his turn, David Zalkaliani, the Georgian Foreign Minister, has stated that "Georgia is doing everything by 100%; a political decision remains." He has added that Georgia's accession to the Alliance is a "complicated issue", but the final decision rests with the NATO members.