NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative: We want democracy to work
On December 19, as part of his visit to Georgia, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, Javier Colomina, held a press conference to discuss Tbilisi’s possible participation in the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington next year, the implementation of necessary reforms by the Georgian authorities, the recent European Council decision on Georgia EU candidacy, Georgia’s relations with China, and the process of Georgia’s integration into the Alliance.
Colomina described the EU Council’s decision to grant Georgia’s EU candidacy as “historical”, which is good news not only for Georgians but also for the international community, as “I think it opens up a momentum that we need to continue to use in 2024”. Colomina noted that NATO expects Georgia to meet the nine steps recommended by the EU.
Commenting on his meetings with the Georgian officials, the Special Representative said the discussions generally focused on the bilateral cooperation and were also about “the opportunities that this decision by the European Union is opening up, and about ways to actually support this process of Euro-Atlantic integration”.
“I do believe that there is a momentum now going on that should help the bilateral relationship between NATO and Georgia,” he reiterated, adding that since the EU Council decision was taken only a few days ago, it remained difficult to say how it would help NATO-Georgia relations evolve, but Colomina pledged his support in this process.
Asked about Georgia’s representation at NATO’s upcoming Washington Summit, scheduled for July 9-11, 2024 Colomina said it was too early and “we have not yet started to talk about partners being invited to the Summit…it’s difficult to say who is going to attend.” However, Colomina noted that “in my view, I believe Georgia will be represented somehow. I don’t know at which level, but I believe there is enough substance to consider that Georgia will have to be invited.”
In response to a Civil.ge’s question about the Georgian government’s implementation of the necessary reforms, Javier Colomina noted that the country “made some progress in some of the most important reforms that we were seeking from the Georgian government.” However, Colomina added, “there is clearly room for improvement, particularly on security services, oversight, judicial reform, depolarization, de-oligarchization.”
Commenting on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia in 2024, Colomina emphasized that “we just want democracy to work as it’s supposed to work,” and “elections are a big part of democracies”. According to him, the role of both the opposition and the government is very important, and he expressed his hope to see “a real and lively democratic exercise” in 2024.
Secretary General’s Special Representative also responded to a question about Georgia’s relations with the People’s Republic of China and the recently established strategic partnership between the two countries, saying: “We don’t compare the situation of Russia and of China, but we have concerns about the security challenges that China represents.” According to him, NATO Allies and partners can have relations with China “to some extent,” as PRC is “a global actor with whom you can engage, NATO [too] engages with China.” But, Colomina added, “we need to be conscious of the fact that it presents those security challenges, particularly when it comes to critical infrastructures” and to “dependencies” that can be created with certain investments.
Colomina believes that this does not mean that one cannot partner with or receive investment from China. “A completely different story is Russia,” he said, calling it “a threat” and “an invader”.
Also Read
- 24/05/2023 – NATO Special Rep. for South Caucasus and Central Asia Visits Georgia
- 22/05/2023 – Georgian Parliamentary Delegation Attends NATO PA Spring Session
- 28/09/2022 – Defense Minister Meets NATO Special Rep. for the Caucasus, Central Asia
