Mikheil Saakashvili made a speech at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Valencia and spoke about NATO-Georgia relationships. Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about Russian aggression and the post-war problems as well.

The Russian delegation protested Mikheil Saakashvili's speech and asked to remove Mikheil Saakashvili from the list. The request from Moscow was not satisfied and the Russian delegation demonstratively left the hall to express their protest this way.

The President of Georgia once again underlined that the only future for Georgia is European future. "We must do everything to get close to European structures and NATO. We do not have any other aim and alternative but the integration in the North Atlantic alliance. We must get as closer as it is possible to the Atlantic structures and European Union. Changes which were undertaken by us are based on the European values. Four years ago corruption was our biggest disease, 70 percent of our population was corrupted in some way or was victim of it. Today the population believes that they won't get hurt from the corruption. We held 147 position in business ratings. Today we are at 15th place. Georgia supports neighborhood policy undertaken by the European Commission. It is very important for us to have simplified visa regime with Europe and Georgia to become as attractive in respect of business environment as it was before August events", stated the President of Georgia.

Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about Russian intervention as well.

"What Russia did against Georgia was not respond to Georgian actions. This was the intervention in the sovereign country. We had to defend our population. We had to solve our country. We will never recognize Russians peacekeeping mandate. We have not trusted them in the past, but after August events this positing became stronger. We are not intending to develop some type of peacekeeping format together with Russians. We have always asked the intervention of international police force in the process of monitoring. "Power is in unity" - this is Georgian quote, but power is in unity not only for Georgia but for the whole Europe", stated the President.

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia