NATO Plans Expanding Its Presence in the Black Sea Region

The expansion of NATO's presence in the Black Sea region is associated with the buildup of military power by Russia in the annexed Crimea, the secretary general of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg said. As Russia uses its annexed Crimea to build up its military power, NATO will continue expanding its presence in the Black Sea region. This stated secretary general of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, March 17, at a press conference in Brussels following the meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. "We will continue to intensively conduct our trainings and exercises. And we will increase our joint situational combat readiness, including in the Black Sea region," Stoltenberg promised, referring to cooperation with Georgia. At the same time, the Alliance Secretary General stressed that NATO stands for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. "We continue to call on Russia to abandon the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and withdraw its troops from these regions," Stoltenberg said. Terms of Georgia's accession to NATO Answering the question of a Georgian journalist about whether Georgia's integration into NATO will be accelerated against the background of Russia's growing influence in the Caucasus region after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Stoltenberg noted that on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, Georgia should focus on implementing democratic reforms, and NATO countries will support it in. "In 2008, we made a decision in Bucharest, and we still adhere to it and will help Georgia move towards NATO membership," the Alliance Secretary General added.