Saakashvili: Georgia Has Chance of Becoming NATO Member in 2008

Speaking during his state of the nation address in parliament, Georgian President Mekheil Saakashvili said on February 14 that Georgia “has a real chance of becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2008,” civil.ge reported the following day. Saakashvili added that Georgia would become a candidate for NATO membership in 2006, without naming a specific date. “This [NATO membership] means that Georgia’s borders will be NATO’s borders, and these borders will be defended not only by our tanks and planes, but by thousands of Western planes,” he said. “We are a peaceful nation, but in this region, given the myriad threats, we need to have a strong army,” he added. (www.civil.ge, February 15)

-- 02/18/2006