Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts about offering a Membership Action Plan for Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, (Mr Hammond) together with his counterparts from NATO Allies, met NATO’s aspiring members, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia and Montenegro, on 4 September 2014 during the NATO Summit in Wales to discuss their progress towards joining the Alliance.

At the Summit, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed to provide Georgia with a ‘substantial package’ of support and engagement measures in recognition of the reform progress it has made.

Georgia was awarded an Annual National Programme, which is the tool used by MAP countries, in 2008. It continues to reflect Georgia’s strong and productive relationship with NATO and their commitment to the reform process.

The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s Open Door policy on enlargement and welcomes the membership aspirations of all the countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.