NATO-GEORGIA JOINT PRESS STATEMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000334

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL NATO MOPS GG RF
SUBJECT: NATO-GEORGIA JOINT PRESS STATEMENT


1. (SBU) On September 15, the North Atlantic Council at the
level of NATO Permanent Representatives traveled to Tbilisi
for two days of meetings (details to be reported septel),
including the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Georgia
Commission (NGC).


2. (U) Following the NGC meeting, the two sides issued the
following Joint Press Statement:

NATO-GEORGIA JOINT PRESS STATEMENT

ON THE OCCASION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL VISIT TO
GEORGIA AND

THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE NATO-GEORGIA COMMISSION

Tbilisi, 15 September 2008



1. Today Georgia hosted the first meeting of the
NATO-Georgia Commission at Ambassadorial level with the
participation of the Georgian Prime Minister and the Georgian
State Commission on Euro-Atlantic Integration. The decision
to establish the NATO-Georgia Commission was taken by Allied
Foreign Ministers on 19 August 2008 in light of the recent
conflict to supervise the process set in hand at Bucharest
and to coordinate measures of support to Georgia as agreed by
the Allies. This Commission is inaugurated on the occasion of
a two-day consultation, information and outreach visit of the
North Atlantic Council to Georgia upon the invitation of the
Georgian authorities, to which the Council agreed on 22 April

2008. This first official visit of the North Atlantic Council
to Georgia is a demonstration of the importance the Alliance
attaches to its partnership with Georgia. In addition to the
meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, the North Atlantic
Council met with President Saakashvili and members of his
cabinet. There will also be meetings with representatives of
the Georgian Parliament, the European Union, the OSCE and the
United Nations.


2. Allied Ambassadors reaffirmed support for Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity and reaffirmed the
statement made by the North Atlantic Council on 27 August,
which condemned the decision of the Russian Federation to
recognise the independence of the Georgian regions of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, in contravention of fundamental OSCE
principles and United Nations Security Council Resolutions,
and called upon Russia to reverse its decision as well as the
recent steps it has taken in association with its recognition
of the Abkhazian and South Ossetian regions of Georgia.
Allied Ambassadors reiterated NATO Foreign Ministers' concern
that Russia,s military action has been disproportionate
during the crisis. They repeated the Foreign Ministers' call
on Russia to immediately and fully implement the 12 August
2008 six-point plan agreed by Presidents Saakashvili and
Medvedev and to withdraw their forces to positions held on 6
August 2008, in accordance with this agreement. (Footnote 1)
Allied Ambassadors called for swift, complete, and good faith
implementation of the agreement, including a new
international mechanism to monitor respect for these
engagements. They welcomed the ongoing international efforts
to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict. In this
context, they noted as a positive step the document of 8
September 2008 agreed between European Union leaders and the
Presidents of Russia and Georgia, and stressed the need for
the agreed measures to be put fully into practice within the
stipulated timeframes, as part of the complete implementation
of the six-point agreement. Allied Ambassadors also deplored
the use of force in the conflict between Georgia and Russia,
reaffirmed that there can be no military solution to the
unresolved conflicts and reminded all parties that peaceful
conflict resolution is a key principle of the Partnership for
Peace Framework Document.


3. During the meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, the
two sides exchanged views on the situation in Georgia and its
implications for Euro-Atlantic security. Allied Ambassadors

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expressed profound regret for all loss of life, civilian
casualties, and damage to civilian infrastructure caused by
the conflict in Georgia. They also discussed with the
Georgian side measures of concrete support by the Alliance to
Georgia, as outlined in the declaration made by NATO Foreign
Ministers at their 19 August 2008 meeting.


4. The Georgian Prime Minister, Mr. Lado Gurgenidze,
emphasized that Georgia attaches particular importance to the
visit of the North Atlantic Council to Georgia in response to
its invitation after the Bucharest Summit, and particularly
during this difficult period of time. The Georgian Prime
Minister discussed details of the conflict and he stated that
a significant part of Georgian territory remains occupied by
the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Prime Minister
of Georgia underlined that the Georgian Parliament had
declared on 28 August 2008 the Russian armed forces currently
deployed on the territory of Georgia as occupying military
units and the Georgian Regions of Abkhazia and
Tskhinvali/South Ossetia as occupied by Russia. The Georgian
side strongly condemned Russia,s unilateral recognition of
the Georgian Regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia
which is in grave violation of the fundamental principles and
norms of international law. The Georgian side called for an
impartial and comprehensive international investigation of
the conflict between Georgia and Russia, its genesis, and
reports of ethnic cleansing. The Prime Minister confirmed
Georgia's commitments undertaken in the process of mediation
by French President Sarkozy, as President of the EU, and
reiterated Georgia's gratitude for all international efforts
aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict, the
withdrawal of all forces to their positions held on August 6,
and quick agreement to a new international mechanism to
monitor compliance, including in both conflict regions, as
agreed with European Union leaders. The Prime Minister
expressed Georgia's appreciation for NATO's practical
assistance to Georgia in a variety of areas. The Prime
Minister also welcomed the establishment today and first
session of the NATO-Georgia Commission. He expressed the hope
that the Commission will assist Georgia to carry forward the
process set in hand by NATO at the Bucharest Summit and help
accelerate Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration process. The
Georgian Prime Minister welcomed the Alliance,s decisions at
the NATO Bucharest Summit, including those regarding
Georgia,s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and expressed high
hopes for a positive decision by the Alliance on Georgia,s
Membership Action Plan (MAP) application at the NATO Foreign
Ministerial meeting in December of this year. The Prime
Minister reaffirmed Georgia's commitment to actively pursue
the democratic, judicial, economic, and defence reforms.


5. Allied Ambassadors stressed NATO's determination to
continue to assist Georgia in its democratic development and
the programme of reforms set out in Georgia,s Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO. They recognised the
achievements and welcomed Georgia's efforts in the fields of
democratic, judicial, economic, and defence reforms, and
stressed the need for Georgia to continue, even under the
difficult circumstances it currently faces, to make every
effort to deepen reforms and make them irreversible. In this
context, Allied Ambassadors welcomed the active use of
Intensified Dialogue. Allied Ambassadors encouraged all
political forces in Georgia to make every effort to continue
building a healthy democratic political culture in the
country. They also voiced the Alliance,s appreciation of
Georgia,s contributions to NATO-led operations.


6. The two sides also exchanged views on the deepening of
the NATO-Georgia relationship, as endorsed by Allied Heads of
State and Government at the April 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit.
Allied Ambassadors recalled the Bucharest Summit Declaration,
in which NATO Heads of State and Government: welcomed
Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO;
agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO; agreed that
MAP is the next step for Georgia on its direct way to
membership; made clear their support for Georgia,s
application for MAP; agreed to begin a period of intensive

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engagement at a high political level to address the questions
still outstanding pertaining to its MAP application; asked
NATO Foreign Ministers to make a first assessment of progress
at their December 2008 meeting; and agreed that Foreign
Ministers have the authority to decide on the MAP application
of Georgia.


7. Allied Ambassadors are looking forward to carrying out
a dialogue with a wide spectrum of civil society in Georgia,
and note the important role civil society plays in moving
Georgia closer to its goal of Euro-Atlantic integration.
Allied Ambassadors will also take part in the opening
ceremony of a new Partnership for Peace Trust Fund and they
will visit Gori. Ambassadors expressed their thanks for the
warm welcome they received from the Government and people of
Georgia.

Footnote 1. As complemented by President Sarkozy's
clarifications and correspondence on this issue.

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VOLKER