During his visit to Brussels, Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

At the meeting the Secretary General reaffirmed his strong support for Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Burchuladze thanked Stoltenberg for his support and welcomed NATO’s firm position on the Alliance’s open door policy.

The meeting positively assessed the reforms implemented by Georgia in the field of defense, the level of compatibility of the defense forces and the professionalism of the Georgian military.

Parties focused on the prospects of deepening NATO-Georgia cooperation and the reforms implemented by the Ministry of Defense, which aim to increase compatibility with NATO. The focus was on the NATO-Georgia joint international military exercise, which will be held in Georgia for the third time this spring.

“We discussed our strategic plans and our future and we are united in all issues of principle. NATO will not back off from its goals and decisions and it is our [Georgia’s] unwavering decision to become a fully-fledged member of the European family”, - said Defense Minister.

He also participated in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Defence Ministers’ session with Georgia and Ukraine today. Secretary General Stoltenberg is set to deliver remarks about the meeting later in the day.