NATO Week 2014 was officially launched on Monday, April 7. The opening ceremony was dedicated to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s three enlargement phases. The ceremony was followed by the international conference “Road to NATO: Sharing the Experience of Integration and Membership.”
Nino Evgenidze, Executive Director of the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) spoke on the economic benefits of NATO membership. In her speech Nino Evgenidze focused on the new economic opportunities offered by the NATO accession, already accumulated experience of the Eastern European countries in this regard, and the impact of NATO membership on areas such as foreign investments, local business development, trade and export potential, and others.
Among the many featured speakers of the conference were Mr. Aleksi Petriashvili, State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Issues, Minister of Defense of Georgia Mr. Irakli Alasania, Amb. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, and former and acting ministers of defense and/or foreign affairs of Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, and other Eastern and Central European countries.
The NATO Week 2014 will close on Sunday, April 13.
