Kevin Hamilton: We have done a lot for Georgia over last 30 years. But equally, Georgia over the past decades has contributed a lot to alliance, perhaps more than any other partner

“We have done a lot for Georgia over the last 30 years. But equally, Georgia over the past decades has contributed a lot to the alliance, perhaps more than any other partner,” said Kevin Hamilton, ​the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, in an interview with the GPB’s First Channel.

Kevin Hamilton was asked, given the threats facing Georgia, what more could the Alliance do to strengthen the aspirant country?

“We have done a lot for Georgia over the last 30 years. That work continues. We have what is called an individually tailored partnership program with Georgia, which covers literally hundreds of areas of activity where our militaries of the allies and the military of Georgia work together on exercises, operations, interoperability, and capacity building.

So that work is continuing and will continue. But equally, Georgia over the past decades has contributed a lot to the alliance, perhaps more than any other partner. So, we’ll be looking for a continuation of that. The partnership agenda for NATO is not only building the capacity of a partner like Georgia, which will continue, but also looking at the ways in which Georgia can contribute to the security of the broader Euro-Atlantic community,” he said.

Responding to the question: “The alliance is preparing to convene for another summit in Antalya in July. What will the summit focus on, and which partners will be invited? Will Georgia be among them?” Kevin Hamilton noted that “this issue has not yet been determined.”

“There is a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Sweden in a few weeks, and that is where the partnership agenda will be settled,” he said.