NATO's Parliamentary Assembly reassures support to Georgia's wish to join NATO

A military personnel stands guard on top of the roof during the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit ceremony at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. (AFP Photo)

TBILISI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- President of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly Paolo Alli  on Saturday reaffirmed support for the aspiration of Georgia to move closer to the West.

At the meeting with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili in Tbilisi, Alli reiterated NATO's strong supports for Georgia's aspiration to integrate with the Euro-Atlantic structure, according to local Interpress News Agency. 

Meanwhile, he noted that it is a rare case that the parliamentary assembly session is held in a non-NATO member state, which in his words means "not only a gesture but a significant political step by NATO." 

During the meeting, Margvelashvili asked Alli to engage NATO experts in the preparation of recommendations in order to improve Georgia's national security architecture. 

On Friday, at the opening ceremony of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly in Tbilisi, Alli insisted that stability in the Caucasus and around the Black Sea is inextricably linked to Western security.

"We think Georgia will become a member of NATO", said Alli. "This was the decision the allies made in Bucharest, and this decision remains" effective, he stressed.

The four-day Spring Session of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly opened in Tbilisi on Friday. 

This is the fifth time in its six-decade history that NATO Parliamentary Assembly has held a session in a country outside the NATO countries.