Estonia supports Georgia's aspirations for NATO membership

20.04.2012

Estonian Foreign Minister, Urmas Paet, said in a meeting with the Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze that according to the Bucharest declaration, Estonia supports Georgia's aspirations for membership in NATO. “Georgia must continue with their reforms without losing momentum,” he added.

According to Paet, it is important for Estonia that the Chicago summit sends a clear message about the progress of the alliance's relations with Georgia and other candidate states. “The summit must recognise Georgia's progress,” he said. Paet added that it is essential to include Georgia in NATO meetings that are held with core partners on the verges of the Chicago summit.  

Paet noted that Georgia is an important contributor to NATO's mission in Afghanistan. Georgia has decided to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan and soon Georgia will become the largest non-NATO state to contribute to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

In his meeting with the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Murray McCully, in Brussels yesterday, Paet also discussed co-operation in Afghanistan. “At the Chicago summit, it is vital to reach agreement on how to guarantee the training and development of the Afghan security forces after 2014,” Paet noted.

Paet and McCully also discussed New Zealand's relations with the European Union. “It is important for the EU to develop and appreciate relations with countries across the world that share its values,” Paet said.

The Foreign Ministers of Estonia and New Zealand also discussed mutually supporting candidates in international organisations.

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