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NATO says Georgia still has work to do to join alliance

09 November 2011 21:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday said that when the South Caucasus country of Georgia could join the military alliance "very much depends on the further progress Georgia makes", APA reports quoting Xinhua

"Since our Bucharest summit, Georgia has come a long way and a lot closer to NATO, but there (is) still work to be done in a number of areas," the NATO chief told a press conference after Wednesday’s NATO-Georgia Commission session held at ambassadorial level in Tbilisi.

Rasmussen said he had told the session in his opening remarks that the session would focus on "broad domestic reforms which Georgia has made in democratic development, in freedom of expression, in fighting corruption and in promoting economic growth."

The session would also discuss crucial area of defense reforms - the need for Georgia to ensure that its military is properly sized, structured and funded and relevant to the security challenges of the future rather than those of the past, he said.

Rasmussen said NATO’s 2008 Bucharest decision "still stands" and that Georgia would become a NATO member.

But when asked to give a time schedule at the press conference, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that depends very much on further progress Georgia can make.

"2012 and 2013 will be the litmus tests for Georgia’s ( further) progress," asserted the visiting NATO chief.

Georgia is scheduled to have its parliamentary elections in 2012 and its presidential election in 2013.

"But NATO fully supports Georgia’s reforms and its aspiration to join NATO," said the NATO chief who described the hitherto progress through reforms in Georgia as "vigorous", " vibrant" and "stronger."

While answering a question on Russia’s concern about Georgia ’s aspiration to join NATO, Rasmussen said NATO’s open-door policy is not against anybody and that no non-member could affect NATO decision on new membership.