Georgia welcomes the NATO Summit in Wales as well as the decisions the Allies have adopted during the event. The Summit is of particular importance to Georgia, as some of the Allies' decisions reflect their acknowledgment of the significant progress the country has made in terms of coming closer to NATO-notably in terms of strengthening its democracy and modernizing its armed forces and defence institutions.
Of paramount importance to Georgia is the fact that the Summit's Final Communiqué reiterates the Alliance's support for its "open door" policy and, more particularly, for the decision the Allies took during the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, which held that ‘Georgia will become a member of the Alliance'. Georgia welcomes the fact that the Alliance recognizes the country's ‘significant efforts to strengthen its democracy', and reaffirms its readiness to continue to carry out reforms.
Georgia welcomes and agrees with the Alliance's opinion that NATO and Georgia have already put in place the mechanisms for interaction needed to bring the country to its ultimate goal of membership of the Alliance.
The "28+4" meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO countries with those of the Alliance's aspirant members held on the sidelines of the Wales Summit was further proof of the topical importance of the "open door" policy. Georgia attaches great importance to dialogue with the Alliance as well as with its other aspirant members, and stands ready to contribute to efforts to further deepen this dialogue.
Of essential importance and value to Georgia is the Alliance's decision to develop a "substantial package of measures"; this will strengthen Georgia's defence capabilities and help the country move forward in its preparations towards NATO membership. Georgia reaffirms its readiness to immediately begin working on the implementation of the package's various elements, and underlines the importance of attracting the Allies' assistance and of their effective co-ordination.
Special mention should be made of the Allies' unequivocally positive appraisal of the reforms Georgia has implemented in its defence sector and of their appreciation of the country's sizeable contribution to Alliance-led operations, especially to ISAF. Georgia welcomes the Alliance's decision to invite the country to take part in a Defence and Related Security Capacity-Building Initiative aimed at reinforcing NATO's "commitment to partner nations" and to join the Enhanced Opportunities Programme-further proof of the importance of efforts to develop military co-operation and interoperability capabilities with the Alliance.
Georgia also highly values the Alliance's firm and unequivocal support for the country's territorial integrity as well as for the policy of refusing recognition of the so-called "independence" of Georgia's occupied territories. Georgia also welcomes the Alliance calling upon Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgia and to commit itself to the non-use of force. Of equally great importance is the Alliance's concern regarding Russia's neglect of fundamental principles of international law; its violation of European security arrangements; its non-compliance with the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty; and regarding its actions with respect to Georgia and Moldova, which threaten Euro-Atlantic security and undermine stability in the Black Sea Region.
Concerning the situation in Ukraine, Georgia reaffirms its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and fully shares the Alliance's position regarding the illegal military intervention in the latter country.
Georgia also shares the concern of the Alliance's member states regarding the increasing levels of instability in Iraq and Syria and the numerous crimes committed as a result of religious extremism.
Special mention must also be made of the decision the Alliance took during the Wales Summit to adopt a Readiness Action Plan and to increase NATO's presence in Eastern Europe in order to strengthen its ability to deal with any new challenge.
Georgia also welcomes other decisions adopted by the Alliance for the strengthening of Euro-Atlantic security, and, as an aspirant country, expresses its readiness to support the implementation of these decisions.