Georgian president pledges to continue NATO-membership bid

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili pledged Wednesday to continue Georgia's efforts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to news from Tbilisi, capital of the former Soviet republic.

Georgia's accession to NATO would facilitate the country's efforts to consolidate its national security, said Saakashvili in a television speech.

Noting the country had intensified its negotiations with NATO, a crucial step in its membership bid, he said the chance of Georgia's entrance into the military bloc remained great.

In the speech, Saakashvili said securing the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgian territory would also top his agenda.

Russia had kept four military bases in Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Moscow is scheduled to pull out all of its bases by 2008, according to its agreement with Georgia.

The president also stressed the importance of Georgia's energy security, saying the government was trying to take measures to promote the diversification of its energy imports.

Source: Xinhua