David Zalkaliani, the Georgian Ambassador to the United States, said the invitation for Georgian officials to participate at the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington, set to be held between Tuesday and Thursday, was a step forward in integration into the alliance.

Zalkaliani said Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, who is set to lead the country’s delegation, would participate in several formats at the Summit, with one of the important formats being a meeting with foreign ministers of member countries of the alliance.

He also noted Darchiashvili would have the opportunity to introduce his counterparts to the Government's position regarding security challenges in the Black Sea region.

While commenting on whether there would be a note made about the bloc’s open door policy in the Summit declaration, the Ambassador said the Georgian side expected the country's progress for integration would be adequately assessed.