NATO Secretary General visits Tbilisi

Immediately after Anders Fogh Rasmussen left for Tbilisi, news arrived that four Georgian soldiers had died in Afghanistan. 

The total number of the Georgian soldiers killed during the campaign now numbers five. Georgia has sent 1000 military personnel to the country, the largest foreign contingent in the International Security Assistance Force.

The tragedy did not only overshadow the talks, it also affected their results. The Secretary General had to present his condolences to the families of the dead soldiers several times and President Saakashvili had to explain in plain language why Georgian forces are sent to a country that is situated so far away and that has almost no connections with Georgia.

Before that, Mikhail Saakashvili was saying that Georgia is helping Afghanistan to improve democracy, and when being honest he admitted that Georgia is fighting for its national interests. 

According to the President, there is foreign pressure on the country and it would be ridiculous not to react in a proper way.

However, the Secretary General's rhetoric seems promising for Georgia. Mr. Rasmussen announced that every country intending to enter the North Atlantic Alliance can do so, if it meets the criteria. Nevertheless, the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia, which are still considered to be Georgian territories, prevents Georgia from entering NATO.

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK.