CSOs Slam PM for Citing NATO Enlargement as Reason for Ukraine War
A group of 19 civil society organizations released a statement on May 31 in response to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s remarks at the Global Security Forum (GLOBSEC) that “NATO enlargement” was one of the main reasons for the start of the war in Ukraine. The CSOs expressed concern that the Prime Minister’s speech was “fully in line with the Kremlin’s narrative, according to which NATO enlargement is a threat to Russia.”
“Unfortunately, the Prime Minister did not take the opportunity to condemn in every possible way the unjust and unprovoked attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine,” the May 31 statement reads.
The organizations reminded PM that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is a historic choice of the Ukrainian people, which is enshrined in the Ukrainian Constitution, and that “the Helsinki Act defines the sovereign right of any country to join any treaty or alliance at its own discretion.”
The civil society organizations also reminded Garibashvili that he is the Prime Minister of a country where the majority of the population supports the country’s accession to NATO. “This choice is enshrined in Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia, according to which the constitutional bodies shall take all measures within their competence to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”
The signatories include Transparency International Georgia (TIG), Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Open Society Georgia Foundation and Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI).
Also Read:
- 30/05/2023 – PM: NATO Enlargement “One of the Main Reasons for Ukraine War”
- 30/05/2023 – Georgian PM’s Controversial Comments on Russia-Ukraine War Spark International Outrage
- 30/05/2023 – Politicians React to PM’s Speech at GLOBSEC Discussion
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
