“I am thrilled that we once again discussed the NATO-Georgia cooperation topics and our integration process,” said Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, at the joint press conference with NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.

The PM remarked that Georgia is one of the most committed and reliable partners of the alliance, adding that hosting the NATO Secretary General in Georgia was a great honour for him, and thanked Jens Stoltenberg for support of Georgia and the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations.

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, Stoltenberg’s 10 years in office coincided with “unprecedented hardships and challenges,” which were overcome and NATO remained the chief “guarantor of Euro-Atlantic security.”

The PM expressed special gratitude to the NATO Secretary General for his support of Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and for his timely and fair statements over the developments in Georgia’s occupied regions.

“Dear Secretary-General, it is my great honor to host you in Georgia and I want to thank you personally for your support towards our country, our Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Your 10-year tenure in the capacity of a NATO Secretary-General coincided with unprecedented challenges and calamities. Nevertheless, with your leadership, a lot of challenges have been overcome and NATO thus remains as a main guarantor of Euro-Atlantic security.

I am thrilled that we once again discussed the NATO-Georgia cooperation topics and our integration process. I wish to use this opportunity and express special gratitude to NATO and personally to the Secretary-General for the support demonstrated towards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Also, we highly value the timely and fair statements regarding the development of events within the occupied territories of Georgia. We are one of the most loyal and reliable partners of NATO, which I wish to highlight again. For over years, Georgia has been actively participating in the operations held under the aegis of NATO, thus making its significant contribution to the solidification of an overall Euro-Atlantic security.

In its part, NATO has been playing a pivotal role in the development of defense capabilities of Georgia.

Europe is currently facing challenging and turbulent times. Rules-based international order is being fundamentally altered. Wholesome, free and peaceful Europe as an idea is being threatened. In the given complexities it is essential that the international community demonstrates unanimity and firm dedication towards the principles of international law.

Dear Secretary-General, once again let me express gratitude for your visit to Georgia as it is yet another evidence of a very strong support from your side and let me wish you every success in your endeavors! Thank you ever so much!,” he said.