Candidate status granted by the European Union is a major opportunity to enhance your stability and prosperity. NATO Secretary General announced this at a joint briefing with the Prime Minister of Georgia.

“Prime Minister Kobakhidze, dear Irakli, It is great to see you again. It’s great to be back in [Tbilisi], and it’s great to be here, not least because that reflects how much we value the partnership between Georgia and NATO.

And I also welcome the fact that you just few weeks ago visited Brussels, now I’m here and it demonstrates also that we have an active political dialogue as part of our partnership. Georgia is one of NATO’s closest partners. We highly appreciate your substantial contributions to NATO missions and operations. And we fully support Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are part of Georgia.

NATO continues to call on Russia to reverse the recognition of Georgian territories as independent states. Russia’s organisation of elections in occupied parts of Georgia and Ukraine is completely illegal. And Russia’s presidential election was clearly neither free nor fair. Georgia is facing complex security challenges. Russia persists its pursuit of imperial ambitions. And in Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield remains difficult. So it is vital that we continue to step up our support. NATO Allies provide 99 percent of all military aid to Ukraine. And our partners also play a key role.

I welcome that Georgia is hosting thousands of Ukrainian refugees and providing crucial humanitarian and financial aid. At the same time, we can and must do more to stop Russia’s cycle of aggression. At our meeting, we also addressed security in the Black Sea, which matters for both Georgia and for NATO.

Russia’s war put freedom of navigation in the Black Sea at risk and threatened global food supplies. But, with our support, Ukraine has pushed back - destroying or damaging a significant part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Ukrainian success have allowed them to re-open grain shipping that is vital for their economy and for global food security. NATO’s partnership with Georgia is already strong. And today we discussed how to develop it even further.

In January, we agreed to a new Individually Tailored Partnership Programme to deepen the partnership between Georgia and NATO. And I welcome the progress made in areas like crisis management, cyber security, and military engineering.

Just a few days ago, a Turkish navy frigate visited Batumi as part of NATO’s training for the Georgian Coast Guard. And this is one example of how we do practical things together, to help you strengthen your naval capabilities which is important for Georgia, it’s important for the Black Sea and it’s important for NATO. NATO stands by your side as you continue your path towards stronger democracy and full Euro-Atlantic integration. Including the 2008 Bucharest decision that Georgia will become a member of the NATO Alliance.

Candidate status granted by the European Union is a major opportunity to enhance your stability and prosperity. And what you do to move towards EU membership goes hand in hand with efforts to become a full NATO Ally. It is important that Georgia continues to strengthen domestic reforms, democratic values and the rule of law. Including through free and fair parliamentary elections in October this year”, - said Jens Stoltenberg.