Enlarged meeting of North Atlantic Council held in Tbilisi

An enlarged meeting within framework of the North Atlantic Council was held in Tbilisi, on Thursday. Council members and representatives of Georgian parliament attended the meeting.

The meeting was opened by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and parliamentary speaker David Usupashvili.

According to Rasmussen, Georgia has made progress towards integration into NATO and now the country is "close to the alliance more than ever".

"But, there are standards that Georgia has yet to achieve. This applies to the country's domestic policy, preparation for presidential elections and the process of cohabitation which will strengthen democracy in the country," he stressed.

The Secretary General also underscored Georgia's important role in the peace-keeping mission in Afghanistan.

In turn, the speaker of the Georgian parliament David Usupashvili, noted that his country is proud of having the ability to participate in ensuring international security.

"Our fellow citizens in Afghanistan are contributing to the protection of people from terrorism and violence," Usupashvili said.

Usupashvili noted that Georgia realises that it should improve itself as a democratic state in order to become a full member of the alliance.

"We are confident that the application of 2008 for Georgia's membership in NATO will be realised," he said.

Adapted from today.az