“The US continues to look to Georgia to continue to implement reforms, to strengthen its democratic institutions, to build rule of law and increase the compatibility of their forces with NATO,” the acting US Ambassador to NATO, Douglas Jones, stated at a virtual briefing on Monday.

He said the United States strongly supports NATO’s open-door policy.

“The open-door policy has been the historic success and achievement of the Alliance. In recent years this has been approved through the admission of new members into the Alliance. The US and all NATO allies believe that it is the sovereign right of any nation to decide its future, to decide which groups and alliances it wants to join. We do not accept that any other country has vetoed the sovereign decisions of other nations to join. Georgia is a very strong partner of the Alliance and a long-time aspirant, a contributor to NATO operations, and has the opportunity to be a partner of Alliance. The Alliance and US continue to look to Georgia to continue to implement reforms, to strengthen its democratic institutions, to build rule of law, and increase the compatibility of their forces with NATO and through the reform process to make itself a stronger candidate for NATO membership,” Douglas Jones said.