NATO congratulates Georgia on peaceful elections

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Monday congratulated the Georgian people on holding "transparent and peaceful presidential elections" in which fundamental freedoms of expression, movement and assembly were respected. "Through these elections, Georgia has passed yet another test of democracy, and has taken a concrete step towards meeting Euro-Atlantic standards. I encourage all political forces in the country to continue working together to achieve Georgia's ambitious reform agenda," he said in a statement. The NATO chief congratulated Giorgi Margvelashvili on his victory in the elections and said he looks forward to working with him in his new capacity. "Georgia is a close and trusted partner of NATO. We will continue working with the new President and his team to help Georgia achieve its Euro-Atlantic integration goals and make the NATO-Georgia relationship even stronger," he added. Georgia is not a NATO member but aspires to become one.