A meeting between the President of Georgia – Mikheil Saakashvili and the NATO Secretary General – Anders Fogh Rasmussen was held at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The sides once again reaffirmed the desire to deepen cooperation within the scope of the alliance. During the meeting the NATO Secretary General spoke about the successful reforms recently implemented in Georgia, also the successfully fulfilled commitment that Georgia has made before the alliance as well as the fact that it continues to be fulfilled. The Secretary General once again expressed support of the territorial integrity of Georgia on behalf of the alliance and noted that he condemns and does not recognize the elections held in the occupied territories of Georgia. Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanked the President of Georgia for an important contribution in the ISAF mission and noted that Georgia is playing a huge role in strengthening the world security.

“We agreed at the Bucharest Summit in 2008 that Georgia will become a member of NATO. That decision stands firm. And let me reaffirm: the Alliance recognizes Georgia’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty within internationally recognized borders. The Alliance does not recognize the elections held recently in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” – stated Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who wished Georgia further success. Also according to him, Georgia has become an exemplary county in terms of fulfilled commitments and cooperation with the alliance. The NATO Secretary General noted that the alliance especially appreciates the efforts of Georgia to peacefully resolve the regional disputes. One of the most important topics of discussion during the meeting was the recent legislative reforms in Georgia, which according to Rasmussen will improve the quality of democracy even more.

In his turn, Mikheil Saakashvili once again reaffirmed the desire to integrate with the Euro- Atlantic Alliance on behalf of the Georgian people and thanked the Secretary General for the intensive and important cooperation, which has been formed between Georgia and NATO. The President of Georgia spoke about the necessity of reforms and the democratic nature of the upcoming elections in the country and noted that it is especially important for foreign observers and representatives of international organizations to participate in the monitoring process.

Directly after the meeting the sides made official statements for the media. The President also attended the NATO-Georgia Commission meeting later today.  Mikheil Saakashvili focused attention on the reforms implemented in Georgia, regional security, importance of participation in the ISAF mission, and the necessity of democratic elections. The Head of State once again reaffirmed before representatives of 28 NATO countries that there should be as many international monitors as possible during the elections.

The State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration – Giorgi Baramidze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Tornike Gordadze, and the Permanent Representative of Georgia in NATO – Gega Mgaloblishvili attended the meeting from the Georgian side. NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, NATO Special Representative to the Caucasus and Central Asia – James Appathurai, and NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy - Dirk Brengelmann participated in the meeting from the NATO side.