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Georgian political leaders sign NATO national accord declaration

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The leaders of Georgia's political parties Monday signed a declaration of national accord on the country's accession to NATO.
TBILISI, March 12 (RIA Novosti) - The leaders of Georgia's political parties Monday signed a declaration of national accord on the country's accession to NATO.

The declaration, which will be submitted Tuesday for parliament's approval, is also available for signing by the leaders of all political movements not represented in the parliament, but which support Georgia's drive to join NATO.

Georgia and Ukraine have long openly declared their plans to join NATO. As well as being uneasy about the opening of NATO bases on the territory of Russia's former Soviet allies in the Baltic Region and Central Asia, Moscow strongly opposes efforts by Georgia and Ukraine to join the Western military alliance, saying the prospect threatens the security of the Russian Federation.

Nino Burdzhanadze, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, said that by signing the declaration, "the Georgian political spectrum has again stressed the importance of the country's unity and expressed its unanimity regarding its foreign policy."

"NATO is a priority for all Georgian people," the speaker said. "Hope of restoring territorial integrity and protecting the country's sovereignty are pinned on this organization. The organization is the only guarantor of stability and peace in the region."

Georgia's self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, sparking bloody conflicts in the region.

Russia mediated ceasefire agreements between the sides, and Russian peacekeepers have been deployed in the conflict zones ever since.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who swept into power on the back of a "color" revolution in 2003, has pledged to bring Abkhazia and South Ossetia back under Tbilisi's control.

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