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James Appathurai: NATO will not compromise when it comes to the territorial integrity of Georgia

07 April 2011 13:39 (UTC +04:00)

Tbilisi. Nizami Mammadzadeh â€“ APA. NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai has today arrived in Georgia for one-day official visit. APAâ€™s Georgia bureau reports that NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative met with Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze. Press conference was held after the meeting. James Appathurai told journalists that NATO will not compromise when it comes to the territorial integrity of Georgia.
â€œThis is the major principle between Georgia and NATO. We will not recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,â€ he said.

James Appathurai also commented on Georgiaâ€™s efforts to establish relations with Russia.
â€œGeorgia itself should establish these relations. NATO can not recommend its ally Georgia how to establish relations with its neighbors. We would like improvement in Georgia-Russia cooperation. This is beneficial both for Georgia and NATO,â€ he said.

Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said a third country can not veto Georgiaâ€™s membership of the alliance.

NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative will also meet with the opposition leaders.