Ukraine’s about-face on its NATO ambitions has not had an adverse effect on the military alliance’s desire to see Georgia eventually swell its numbers, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Saturday.
“Nothing of the kind has occurred,” Saakashvili told journalists in Tbilisi the day after NATO approved a new strategic concept.
“NATO gave a high rating to our political and democratic, as well as security, reforms and also backed Georgia’s road to NATO membership…This was an important stage,” he said.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejected the Western-leaning policies of his predecessor Viktor Yushchenko when he came to power earlier this year, including his bid to take the former Soviet republic into NATO.
Opinion polls had consistently indicated that the vast majority of Ukrainians were against such a move.
NATO rejected Ukraine and Georgia’s bids at its Bucharest summit in 2008, but vowed that the two countries would eventually become part of the alliance.
TBILISI, November 20 (RIA Novosti)
