During his inaugural trip to Brussels this week, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the strong Georgia-NATO cooperation and their shared goals for the future.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze noted that NATO has played a “significant role” in enhancing Georgia’s defense capabilities and its interoperability with NATO in recent years, and stressed that Georgia has “spared no effort to stand by the values” of NATO. With twenty percent of Georgia’s territory still under an illegal military occupation, the Prime Minister thanked NATO for its firm support of Georgia’s territorial sovereignty. Kobakhidze also underscored today’s “troubling” security situation in Europe and urged global unity in maintaining the “rules-based international order.”
Secretary General Stoltenberg praised Georgia for its firm partnership with NATO in securing peace and security in the region, highlighting in particular Georgia’s humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine amid the war and its willingness to accept displaced refugees. He also reaffirmed NATO’s support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, stressing that illegal annexation of Georgian regions must be rejected.
During their meeting, the parties discussed the importance of keeping the Black Sea safe and free for navigation, agreeing that the war in Ukraine poses serious risks not just to commerce, but to food security for the world.