The decision to opt out of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States was taken by President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Saakashvili has set his country the goal of securing an invitation to join NATO by 2008.
The statement said Georgia "has taken a course to join NATO and it cannot be part of the two military structures simultaneously."
(AFP, AP)
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and in-depth analysis on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia's North Caucasus by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Caucasus Report."
