Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO Secretary General, said on May 27 it was important for both Georgia and Ukraine “to demonstrate democratic maturity and stay on the reform track”, according to Civil Georgia.
“We agreed in Bucharest that Georgia and Ukraine will become members of NATO. We also agreed to begin a period of intensive engagement at a high political level with both these countries to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their MAP applications,” Scheffer said while addressing the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 2008 Spring Session in Berlin.
“It is important that both Ukraine and Georgia demonstrate democratic maturity and stay on the reform track. We are obviously keeping a particularly close eye on Georgia and its relations with Russia, and will continue to urge moderation and respect for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. I will lead visits by the North Atlantic Council to Ukraine next month and to Georgia in September, when we will discuss all relevant issues. NATO Foreign Ministers will then make a first assessment of the progress made by each of the two countries when they meet in Brussels in December.”
