On May 18th NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg received Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at his house to discuss Tbilisi's Euro-Atlantic ambitions and Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

According to the press release, the two officials underlined their optimism that Georgia's progress on NATO reforms and objectives would be suitably represented in upcoming Alliance decisions, through political backing and expanded practical opportunities.

The parties also discussed Georgia's position as a NATO ally and its contribution to global peace and security in the Black Sea area.

Following the meeting Stoltenberg wrote that "NATO fully supports the sovereignty of all nations, territorial integrity and the right to choose their own path, including Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. I met with the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili, a close partner of NATO. We talked about Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. NATO fully supports the sovereignty of all nations, territorial integrity, and the right to choose their own path, including Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations," the Secretary General concluded. PM Garibashvili reiterated Georgian people's sympathy with Ukrainians in response to Russia's actions.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Ilia Darchiashvili, the meeting with the Secretary General was important in the context of NATO-Georgia cooperation, at which NATO reaffirmed its support for Georgia, including the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.

"Georgia has received very strong support from the NATO Secretary General for the protection of our country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. "Georgia and NATO partners have very active bilateral cooperation," Darchiashvili said. He also added that Georgia is actively working with NATO partners to finish the NATO summit in Madrid with tangible results for Georgia.

The PM also thanked the Vice President of the European Commission Joseph Borrell for his continued support on the road to European integration. "I had a fruitful meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission, Joseph Borrell. I had the opportunity to discuss the dramatic geopolitical upheavals in the region with him.” Borrell commented on Twitter that he discussed with the PM the challenges posed by Russian invasion of Ukraine and EU-Georgia agenda.

Yet another meeting was held with the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi. Varhei said that shortly after receiving the completed questionnaire, the European Commission began to prepare a conclusion on Georgia's application to the European Union.

"Today I met with the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili. The EU continues to support the mitigation of the effects of the Russian-led war on Ukraine. Shortly after receiving the completed questionnaire, the European Commission began to prepare a conclusion on Georgia's application to the European Union," said the Commissioner.

Following the two-days visit Garibashvili said that “Europe is the choice not only of the Georgian political leadership, but also of the Georgian people. I thank our European partners for supporting Georgia on this path.”

The PM’s visit was not the only highlight of the visit. The Georgian Defence Forces Chief Major General Giorgi Matiashvili joined European Union Military Committee meeting in Brussels, which was organized at the level of EU Chiefs of Defence (CHODs). Apart from Georgia, representatives from North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova met with EU Defence Chiefs. The implications of the war in Ukraine, Strategic Compass, and CSDP Military Missions and Operations were considered by EU Chiefs of Defence. According to a news statement released by the Council of the EU, the EU CHODs and the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee addressed ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation with NATO and the UN. Matiashvili also met with Eduard Ohladciuc, Chief of Moldova's National Guard, according to Georgia's Defence Ministry.

The visit follows the tensions caused by the arrest of the director of the main channel Nika Gvaramia who was found guilty by the court in Tbilisi. Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze fined him for GEL 50,000 and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison. Georgian opposition politicians and members of society hoped that Western politicians would be critical of the Georgian leadership to nudge the latter toward possible pardoning of Gvaramia.