Georgia needs more reform to get NATO membership

NATO is still prepared to grant membership to Georgia and Ukraine on condition that they implement reforms, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai said on Tuesday. Georgia has been negotiating NATO membership since 2006, when it signed the Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues. In April 2008 at the Bucharest NATO summit, Georgia and Ukraine were given a green light for NATO accession on condition that they carry out military and political reforms. “Georgian government has been working hard to secure membership in NATO in accordance with the Bucharest agreements,” Appathurai said during the press conference in Moscow. “In Georgia's case, reforms and compliance with NATO standards are required, including practical and political measures.” However, he said Georgia is unlikely to be included in the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) that is due to be announced at the upcoming alliance's summit in Chicago in 2012. The MAP, which was launched in April 1999 at the Alliance’s Washington Summit, is aimed to help countries aspiring to NATO membership in their preparations.