OREANDA-NEWS NATO considers it necessary to provide Georgia and Moldova with political and practical support against the background of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. The bloc is considering increasing this support, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a joint statement with the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. According to him, quoted by RIA Novosti, such assistance should be provided to European countries, even if they are not members of the EU and NATO.

«The situation in Ukraine has shown the importance of providing political and practical support to countries in Europe that are not members of either NATO or the EU, especially Georgia and Moldova. We are exploring what we can do more for our partners in the eastern part of Europe», Stoltenberg said.

At the same time, Metsola noted that the European Parliament supports the desire of Georgia and Moldova to join the European Union. She added that Moldovan President Maia Sandu received an invitation to address MEPs during the plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg.
In March, representatives of the EU member states opened a lengthy procedure for reviewing applications sent by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova for EU membership. European diplomats note that the mentioned countries hastily submitted applications after the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine.