Georgian Foreign Minister on NATO’s Decision

Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze has tried to strike an optimistic note despite NATO’s refusal to extend Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia at its summit in Bucharest on April 3.

“Georgia failed to receive MAP today, but it received something more – and I would even say – a firmer pledge that Georgia will join the alliance,” Bakradze told reporters in Bucharest on April 3. “We have received a transcript [of the NATO summit communiqué], which says that, and I can read it out – ‘We [NATO leaders] have agreed today that Georgia and Ukraine will become NATO members.’ It is a clear commitment by the alliance that Georgia will join NATO. This commitment is even stronger than the membership perspective received through MAP. I think this is an absolutely new stage in relations between us and NATO. This is the stage when NATO considers Georgia as a member of the alliance. Today, NATO made a decision that Georgia will become a NATO member. This is a historical event and therefore, for me, this document and this phrase is determinant for Georgia’s future.”

Bakradze’s remarks differ sharply from his and others’ comments prior to the summit. He said on March 28 that any “artificial” assurance from NATO less than MAP would be “unacceptable” for Georgia. President Saakashvili even said during his visit to the United States last month that any kind of temporizing assurance by NATO, other than MAP, would be “rubbish.”

Speaking to journalists in Bucharest after the summit, the Georgian foreign minister also said that discussions among NATO allies about Georgia and Ukraine were “naturally very difficult.”

“The fact that Georgia failed to receive MAP is as a result of this very difficult discussion. We hope that before the meeting of foreign ministers in December, we will manage to convince all partners that third countries have no right to veto,” Bakradze said, referring to Russia’s opposition to Georgia and Ukraine’s NATO integration.  “We will manage to convince all partners that integration into NATO is the best way to settle the conflicts. We hope that in December we will get a technical instrument [for NATO integration, referring to MAP].

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