During last week's meeting with Georgia's Foreign Minister Irakly Menagarishvili in Brussels, Robertson also voiced approval of Georgia's drawn-up plan for integration into NATO, the ministry added in a statement.

Georgia, an ex-Soviet republic that became independent in 1991, has been keen to join NATO as a counterweight to Russian influence in the region.

It formally applied for membership during NATO's Prague summit in November, but will have to enact a series of reforms, including in the military, before being considered.

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