Chronology of Important Events
In 1992 Georgia became a member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC);
On March 23, 1994, Georgia joined the Partnership for Peace (PFP) programme;
On July 18, 1995, Georgia acceded to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and the other states participating in the Partnership for Peace programme;
Since 1995 cooperation has been in progress in the field of education. Georgian experts undergo annual trainings in the NATO School in Oberammergau (Germany) and NATO Defence College in Rome (Italy);
In 1996 Georgia elaborated and submitted to NATO the first Individual Partnership Programme (IPP);
On May 1, 1997, the Parliament of Georgia ratified the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and the other states participating in the Partnership for Peace programme;
On May 30, 1997, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) was set up and Georgia became one of its founding members;
On April 22, 1998, a diplomatic mission of Georgia to NATO was opened and the Ambassador of Georgia presented his credentials to the NATO Secretary General;
In March of 1999, Georgia joined the Planning and Review Process (PARP) of the Partnership for Peace Programme. Within a two-year cycle of this process Georgia is engaged in realization of the partnership goals, which will help achievement of interoperability and insure successful participation in the NATO-led peacekeeping operations;
On October 19, 2000, the Parliament of Georgia ratified the Additional Protocol to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and the other states participating in the Partnership for Peace programme;
In March of 2001, regular political consultations with the NATO International Agency became a part of the practice, which is of great practical importance to Georgia. These consultations are generally held at the level of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Georgian side and- Head of the Political Directorate- from the side of NATO;
High-level meetings are held regularly on the issues of arms control and disarmament within 26+1 format (26 member states of NATO + Georgia);
On June 11-23, 2001, large-scale multinational military training "Cooperative Partner- 2001" was held jointly by NATO and partner countries in Poti, Georgia;
On June 17-28, 2002, large-scale multinational military training "Cooperative Best Effort- 2002" was held jointly by NATO and partner countries in Tbilisi, Georgia;
In June of 2002, Georgia launched cooperation with the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency- NAMSA) within the programmes carried out under the aegis of the Partnership for Peace Trust Fund;
By Resolution N 1661 of the Parliament of Georgia (September 13, 2002) and in compliance with Article 48 of the Constitution of Georgia, the Georgian executive authorities were instructed to launch, along with the respective parliamentary bodies, an integration process into NATO, with a view to accelerating and conducting effectively Georgia's integration into NATO and determining major directions of the country's internal and foreign policy;
On November 21-22, 2002, at the NATO Summit in Prague, Georgia made a declaration on its aspiration to NATO membership and expressed its desire to take part in the new programme "Individual Partnership Action Plan";
On December 28, 2002, the National Security Council of Georgia adopted the State Programme on Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Integration. The Programme consists of five major sections: 1) political and economic issues; 2) defence and military issues; 3) maintenance issues; 4) security issues; 5) legal issues;
On March 14, 2003, the third round of political consultations was held between NATO and Georgia in Brussels, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the NATO Deputy Secretary General for Political Issues;
On May 27, 2003, by Decree N235 of the President of Georgia, the National Coordination Council for Euro-Atlantic Integration was set up with a view to enhancing efforts and coordinated action of the state authorities in the process of Georgia's integration into NATO. The Council was chaired by the President of Georgia;
In September of 2003, large-scale multinational military-medical trainings "Med Care-Rescuer-03" were held in Tbilisi jointly by NATO and partner countries;
In December of 2003, a draft of the Individual Partnership Plan of Georgia was drawn up;
On April 7, 2004, a high-level meeting between Georgia and NATO was held in Brussels, where President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia presented to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer an introductory document of the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia;
On April 23-24, 2004, a session of the Atlantic Policy Advisor Group was held in Tbilisi chaired by NATO Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs, Ambassador Gunter Altenburg;
On June 7, 2004, at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Senior Political Committee Reinforced (SPCR) held a meeting with representatives of Georgia within 26+1 format. NATO Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs Gunter Altenburg led this meeting, which aimed at reviewing the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia;
On June 28-29, 2004, at the NATO Summit held in Istanbul, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan joined officially the initiative for the Individual Partnership Action Plan;
In August of 2004, the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia was submitted officially to NATO;
On October 29, 2004, the North Atlantic Council of NATO approved the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia under the silence procedure and Georgia moved on to the so-called second stage of Euro-Atlantic integration;
The Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia consists of four parts: 1. political and security issues. 2. defence, security and military issues; 3. public information, scientific and environmental issues and civilian crisis management; 4. administrational, defence, security and resource management. The first part of the Plan gives a general survey of the above-referenced issues, while the second part includes a concrete and time-related list of the necessary measures. The Plan covers a wide spectrum of defence and security issues, such as defence policy, combat on terrorism, relations with neighbouring countries, defence planning, financing of defence system, crisis situations and civilian defence;
In 2005, by the decision of the President of Georgia, a state commission was set up to implement the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which presents an interdepartmental group headed by the Prime Minister. The Commission was tasked with coordinating and controlling the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan;
On February 14, 2005, the agreement on the appointment of PfP liaison officer between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia;
On March 2, 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel;
The implementation process of the Individual Partnership Action Plan is presently underway. On March 7-11, 2005, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. On May 18, 2005, the review of the IPAP assessment results was held in Brussels;
On September 26-29, 2005, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi for the unofficial assessment of IPAP. On October 5, 2005 consultations were held with representatives of the NATO International Agency;
On March 6-9, 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi;
On April 13, 2006, the discussion of the assessment report on implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan was held at NATO Headquarters, within 26+1 format.
On September 21, 2006 an informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the NATO member-states was held in New-York, which adopted a decision to launch the Intensified Dialogue with Georgia on NATO membership issues. Georgia's accession to the Intensified Dialogue is a significant step in terms of transition from the format of partnership to that of candidate for membership. The Intensified Dialogue represents a mechanism of bilateral cooperation between the Alliance and Georgia, aiming largely at providing the basis for Georgia's entry into the stage of MAP (Membership Action Plan).
On December 14, 2006 the first, start-up meeting in the format of Intensified Dialogue on Membership Issues was held at NATO HQ in Brussels. During the meeting the sides discussed a wide range of issues within the frame of Intensified Dialogue and also agreed on the schedule for future meetings in the ID format.
On February 1, 2007 first thematic consultation was held in the framework of Intensified Dialogue between the delegation of Georgia and International Staff of NATO. The sides discussed issues concerning the priorities, ongoing process of reforms, and future plans of Georgia in the sphere of Defence.
On February 19-23, 2007 Individual Partnership Action Plan implementation assessment team visited Georgia.
On March 21, 2007 , NATO-Georgian meeting in the 26+1 format at the level of NATO Political Committee was held at NATO Headquarters. Meeting was focused on resolution of the conflicts on the territory of Georgia.
On March 22, 2007, the second thematic round of consultations in the format of Intensified Dialogue between the delegation of Georgia and the representatives of the Alliance's international staff was held at NATO Headquarters, Brussels. At the meeting the sides focused on a wide range of political issues, including the issues of resolution of the conflicts, human rights and national minorities, strengthening of the rule of law, fight against terrorism and so on.
On May 15, 2007 the third thematic round of consultations in the format of Intensified Dialogue on Legal issues between Georgia and NATO International Staff was held at NATO HQ in Brussels.
The meeting with NATO Political-Military Steering Committee (PMSC), in the 26+1 format, was held in Brussels on June 5, 2007. Georgia presented and discussed the draft of Strategic Defence Review (SDR) at the meeting.
On June 11, 2007 the forth thematic round of consultations in the format of Intensified Dialogue on Information Security Issues between Georgia and NATO Office of Security (NOS) was held at NATO HQ in Brussels.
On July 05, 2007 the fifth round of consultations in the ID format on Resources and Economic Issues between the Georgian Delegation and NATO IS was held at NATO HQ in Brussels.
On October 2, 2007 high level political meeting was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels in the 26+1 format within the Intensified Dialogue framework on the issues of conflict resolution;
On January 28-31, 2008 NATO assessment mission team visited Georgia to assess reforms made within the IPAP framework;
On February 13-16, 2008 a group of permanent representatives of Latvia, Germany, Italy, Estonia and Poland to North Atlantic Council visited Georgia;
On February 18-19, 2008 Seminar ''on Economic aspects of Security: Ways to improve coordination in Defense and Security Sectors'' was held in Tbilisi within EAPC framework;
On March 26, 2008 NATO-Georgia meeting in 26+1 format was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels to review IPAP assessment;
On April 3, 2008 on Bucharest Summit the Alliance made decision that Georgia will become NATO member country;
On April 24-25, 2008 NATO-Georgia consultations on political issues were held in Tbilisi within the Intensified Dialogue framework;
On April 28, 2007 NATO-Georgia meeting was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels in the 26+1 format on the issues of conflict resolution with the participation of special representative of Georgia, Mr. David Bakradze;
On June 3, 2008 a meeting between NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Nino Burjanadze took place in NATO Headquarters, Brussels;
On June 17-19, 2008 Seminar on improvement of Personnel and reserves system in Defense Sector was held in Tbilisi within EAPC framework;
On June 17, 2008 Georgian delegation held meeting with NATO Office of Security representatives during the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia's visit to NATO Headquarters, Brussels;
On June 18, 2008 NATO-Georgia meeting on political issues was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels with the participation of Foreign Minister of Georgia, Eka Tkeshelashvili;
On June 20, 2008 a meeting between the President of Georgia, Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels;
On August 12, 2008 NATO-Georgia meeting was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels in the 26+1 format on the issues of Russian military aggression against Georgia;
On August 12, 2008 NGF +USA meeting with leaders of NATO member countries' delegations was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels to discuss latest events in Georgia;
On August 19, 2008 Extraordinary meeting of Foreign Ministers of member states was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels to discuss latest events in Georgia;
On August 21-22, 2008 a group of 15 representatives of NATO CEP (Civil Emergency Planning) committee visited Georgia to assess on site damage caused by hostilities of Russian Federation;
On August 21-22, 2008 NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons visited Georgia;
On September 15-16, 2008 frame document establishing NATO-Georgia Commission was signed during official visit of North Atlantic Council and NATO Secretary General to Georgia and first meeting of the Commission was held;
On October 10, 2008 informal meeting of Ministers of Defense of NATO-Georgia Commission was held in Budapest;
On November 18, 2008 plenary meeting of NATO Parliamentary Assembly was held in Valencia, Spain. A document about Russian-Georgian conflict was adopted there. The document expressed concern on Russian activities;
On December 3, 2008 meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO-Georgia Commission was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels. NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs made decision to further activate cooperation with Georgia through NATO-Georgia Commission. Annual National Program is being developed and discussed within the NATO-Georgia Commission;
On February 4, 2009 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels dedicated to Georgia's Individual Partnership Action plan (IPAP) performance assessment and discussion of future plans for NATO-Georgia cooperation;
By decision made on April 3-4, 2009 NATO anniversary summit was held in Strasbourg and Kehl, France-Germany, Alliance member countries again expressed their adherence to the obligations undertaken at the Bucharest Summit.
On April 16, 2009 NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting at Political Committee level was held in NATO Headquarters, Brussels, where Georgian side presented a draft Annual National Program for the year 2009.
On May 6, 2009 two NATO-Georgia Commission Meetings - at Ambassadors and at the Chiefs of Defence level - were held at NATO HQ, Brussels. The issues concerning NATO-Georgia cooperation in the follow-up of NATO Strasbourg-Kehl Summit were discussed at the meeting at Ambassadors level. The main issues discussed at the meeting at the Chiefs of Defence level were ongoing reforms in the Armed Forces of Georgia and the activities carried out for the purpose of NATO integration.
On May 24-26, 2009, Special Representative of NATO Secretary General for the Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons visited Georgia. During the visit the first Georgian Annual National Programme was officially handed over to the NATO side.
On June 17, 2009 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting at Political Committee level was held at the NATO HQ.
On November 18, 2009 NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting was held at the NATO HQ. Progress achieved by Georgia in implementation of the Annual National Programme (ANP) and future plans of NATO-Georgia relations were discussed at the meeting.
On January 26, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting at Political Committee level was held at NATO HQ. An initial discussion of the draft Georgian Annual National Program for the year 2010 took place at the meeting.
On 4-5 of February, 2010 the meeting with participation of defence ministers of NATO's member and partner states was held in Istanbul. Within this framework meeting of the ISAF supporting countries took place.
On March 12, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting at the Ambassadors level was held at the NATO HQ. The Georgian side presented the Annual National Programme 2010 and the State Strategy on Occupied Territories to the Alliance. Particular appreciation was expressed for Georgia's considerable contribution in ISAF operation.
On March 25, 2010 a meeting between the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was held at NATO HQ. The President and the Secretary General discussed NATO-Georgian cooperation and development of Euro-Atlantic integration process.
On April 13, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting at Political Committee level was held at the NATO HQ. Upcoming local elections issues were discussed at the meeting.
On May 5, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting was held at the level of Chiefs of Defenceat NATO HQ. The key issues of the meeting were defence reforms in Georgian Armed Forces, Strategic Defence Review, Georgia's contribution to the ISAF operation and future plans for cooperation with the Alliance.
On May 5-6, 2010 NATO Defence Security and Economic Issues Directorate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia held a seminar on "Energy Security and Energy - infrastructure protection" in Tbilisi.
On May 6, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting was held at the level of Ambassadorsat NATO HQ. National Security Review process was discussed at the meeting.
On June 11, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission Meeting at Defence Ministers level was held at the NATO HQ, where the issues related to the security environment in Georgia, defence reforms, NATO-Georgia cooperation and Georgia's contribution to the NATO-led ISAF operation were discussed.
On June 23, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting on Ambassadors level was held at the NATO HQ. Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia led the Georgian delegation at the meeting. The Georgian side briefed the Alliance about the political situation in the country, achievements in the democratic reforms and the security situation on the occupied territories.
On September 17, 2010 NATO-Georgia Commission meeting at Ambassadors' level was held at the NATO HQ. The conflict resolution and reintegration process in Georgia and Geneva talks were discussed at the meeting.
On 1 October 2010 NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited Georgia. Secretary General held the meetings with the President of Georgia, Prime-Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence of Georgia. During the visit Secretary General officially inaugurated NATO Liaison Office in Tbilisi.
On 29 October 2010 the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO, Admiral Giampaolo di Paola visited Georgia. He held the meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence of Georgia, Deputy State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Deputy Head of Security Council.
On 16 November 2010, , NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a Resolution on the Situation in Georgia. The Resolution assessed the presence of Russian troops on the territory of Georgia as a violation of the EU-brokered Ceasefire Agreement of 12 August 2008 and an occupation of the territory of the sovereign country. NATO parliamentarians urged Russia "to reverse the results of ethnic cleansing" and allow the safe and dignified return of all internally displaced persons to their homes.
On 19-20 November, 2010 the NATO Summit was held in Lisbon, Portugal. NATO's new Strategic Concept was adopted. In the Lisbon Summit Declaration, the Allies reaffirmed the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision and reiterated that "Georgia will become a member of NATO". NATO members also reiterated their support to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the ISAF Contributor Nations was also held during the summit.
The NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) meeting at Ambassadors' level was held at the NATO HQ on December 1, 2010. At the meeting the parties exchanged the views on the 2010 Assessment document of the Georgia's Annual National Program (ANP).
The NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) meeting at Ambassadors' level was held at the NATO HQ on February 11, 2011. At the meeting, the parties discussed Georgia's State Strategy on Occupied Territories and Annual National Programme 2011.
On April 7, 2011, for the first time in this position, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative to Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai paid official visit to Georgia.
On April 15, 2011, NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) meeting was held in the margins of the NATO Berlin Ministerial. For the first time in the history of NATO-Georgia relations the Joint Statement was issued at the meeting.
On 16 May 2011, the exhibition of Georgia's contribution to ISAF opened in NATO headquarters in Brussels. 73 photos describing activities of the Georgian troops in Afghanistan and their relations with the local population are presented on the exhibition. Exhibition was organized with the support of Lithuanian delegation to NATO.
On 9-10 November 2011, The North Atlantic Council (NAC), led by the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, paid a two-day visit to Georgia. The meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) held on November with the participation of 29 countries (28 member-states of NATO and Georgia) adopted a joint statement, wherein they welcomed concrete achievements in Georgia's reform process, reaffirmed their commitment to the decision of the Bucharest Summit and their strong support for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.
On December 7, 2012 at the NATO Foreign Ministerial held at NATO HQ, the Allies adopted the Communiqué wherein Georgia, along with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina was mentioned as a NATO aspirant partner country.
On May 20-21, 2012 NATO Summit was held in Chicago. In the Summit Declaration the Allies once again reaffirmed the Bucharest Summit decision that "Georgia will become a member of NATO" and noted that NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) and Georgia's Annual National Programme (ANP) have a central role in supervising the process set in hand at the Bucharest Summit. In the Declaration Georgia was mentioned as a NATO "aspirant country" with the three Balkan states (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina). Furthermore, NATO Member states reiterated their continued support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. The Allies underscored Georgia's commitment not to use force and called on Russia to reciprocate, as well as to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states.