The Georgian government has adopted its foreign policy strategy for 2019-2022. The main priorities for the forthcoming four-year period are the following:
-Security and territorial integrity
-EU and NATO integration
-Sustainable economic development
-The strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation both at the regional and global level
-Contribution to global security
The main challenge for the security of Georgia remains the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Accordingly, the document states that protecting its own interests in a "turbulent environment" remains the highest priority. Georgia sees itself as a "European democracy" committed to peace, the rule of law and the protection of human rights both in the region and worldwide.
In this regard, the Russian news agency TASS recalled that Georgia has been working with NATO since the late 90s. In November 2002, then-President Eduard Shevardnadze announced at the Prague Summit that the country desires to become a member of the Alliance. This effort was confirmed by the succeeding president, Mikhail Saakashvili. The new government, which came to power following the victory of the Georgian Dream Coalition in October 2012, continued on its path to integration with NATO. At the same time, the new authorities called the "gradual normalization of relations with the Russian Federation" a "main task" of Georgian foreign policy. Nevertheless, this cannot happen to the detriment of Georgia’s territorial integrity". In 2015 and 2016 and on 25 March 2019, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Tbilisi. He affirmed that Georgia would become a member of NATO, despite the position of Russia, but noted that he could not give a precis date for the country's accession to the Alliance.
