NATO will keep the door open for a possible accession of Georgia and Ukraine provided they fall in line with the strict criteria required for membership, an alliance official said on Saturday.
Alexander Vershbow, NATO's assistant secretary of defense for international strategic affairs, told a news briefing in Washington that NATO welcomed Georgia and Ukraine's entry bids but stressed that the countries should conduct reforms to meet the membership criteria.
He said Georgia should work hard to develop its defense sphere and strengthen the region's security.
Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a speech in Washington's Georgetown University that Georgia and Ukraine should conduct security and other reforms.
He added that NATO had been holding active discussions with the two countries through bilateral working groups.
Ukraine and Georgia have long been pursuing NATO membership but their bids were turned down due to pressure from Germany and France at a 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest.
But NATO has stated that the two countries could join at an unspecified date in the future.
However, new Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said earlier this week his administration would not continue with former President Viktor Yushchenko's bid to take Ukraine into NATO, and would prioritize long-established relations with Russia and other CIS countries.
WASHINGTON, February 27 (RIA Novosti)
