Gov’t, Opposition React to NATO Washington Declaration
For the first time since the 2008 Bucharest Summit Decision, the NATO Washington Summit Declaration, adopted by the heads of state of the allied countries on July 11, did not include the formula that “Georgia will become a member of the Alliance with the Membership Action Plan as an integral part of the process.”
Government officials and diplomats have mostly downplayed the omission. The opposition, on the other hand, slammed the government for undermining Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future.
We have collected the following reactions:
Government Representatives
Irakli Chikovani, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Defense: “Georgia has its place in this document. It is important that there is a clear statement that the territories of Georgia are occupied and that the military forces of the Russian Federation must withdraw from the territories of Georgia… As for the enlargement policy, there is also a point in this regard, perhaps not with the direct mention of Bucharest [formula], but NATO notes that all states are free to decide which alliance they will join and therefore supports the open door policy. This is also mentioned… Also, the context, which implies that the closest partners of the Alliance, such as Georgia, as an aspirant state… all these states’ efforts are important to ensure international security… We have all made a lot of sacrifices for this.”
Viktor Dolidze, Georgia’s Ambassador to NATO: “Although different from the Madrid and Vilnius [communiqué], this was not a comprehensive, detailed final communiqué, where issues related to security or other issues were already written in detail and specifically about each region in relation to the country. It was a short political declaration that did not even have forty chapters, while we had communiqués of 60, 70, 80 [chapters], and more [before]… Therefore, Georgia was not an exception; no future political plans, either for the Alliance and or our country [were reflected]”.
Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament: “In the flood of false accusations and misinformation, we must remember what the truth is. According to the decision of the “Georgian Dream” Government, Georgia participated in NATO’s “Resolute Support Mission” in Afghanistan in 2015-2021 with the largest contingent among non-NATO countries, and compared to [some] NATO members themselves, we were the fourth after the USA, Germany, and Italy. I don’t want to say anything more about who performed what tasks of what complexity. We all know and remember the stories and sacrifices of our heroic soldiers. Georgia’s role in ensuring the rapid withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2021 is another story. We should remember that we were ahead of many NATO members in terms of both democratic and institutional development.”
Opposition Representatives
Teona Akubardia, Reformers Group, MP: “Today is the most difficult day on Georgia’s path to NATO membership because the 22-year open-door policy with NATO has been closed by the “Georgian Dream”… for the first time, after the 2008 Bucharest Summit, the NATO Summit text no longer mentions Georgia’s promise to join NATO, which means that progress in NATO under the conditions of the “Georgian Dream” is impossible. For the first time, in the declaration of the NATO summit, Georgia as a partner country is no longer mentioned not only as a country, but among them, neither in terms of democratic progress nor defense capability, there is no record regarding Georgia”.
Tina Bokuchava, United National Movement, MP: “In the final documents that NATO receives after every summit, the issue of Georgia’s integration into NATO has been reflected in every single one. This year, for the first time, we will see such a communiqué, in which the issue of Georgia’s integration into NATO is removed and removed because of Ivanishvili’s anti-Western, isolationist policy”.
Giorgi Gakharia, For Georgia: “For the first time since 2008, the NATO summit in Washington did not mention Georgia in the context of membership. Ivanishvili and his party are successfully continuing the deliberate destruction of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process, as well as the prospect of joining the European Union and its strategic partnership with America. The ruling party poses a direct threat to Georgia’s national security. The Dream government threatens our sovereignty, territorial integrity, democracy and European future. The Dream is leading the country into authoritarianism and isolation. Georgia must defeat Ivanishvili in order to return to the path of democratic development, European and Euro-Atlantic integration”.
Nika Gvaramia, “Ahali”: “According to the recent statement of NATO, it is clearly visible who is really the war party in Georgia, it is the “Georgian Dream,” because with the actions it deliberately and consistently carries out against our Western partners, individual countries and also the Euro-Atlantic bloc, “Georgian Dream” leaves us vulnerable and face to face with Russia. The only language Russia understands is the language of a strong protector; we need a strong protector so that there is no war, and there will be no war because we will still have such a protector in the West; the main thing is that we must decide this on October 26. No to “Georgian dream”, yes to peace”.
Zurab Japaridze, “Girchi – More Freedom”: “This is a reaction of our Western partners to the adoption of the Russian law and the anti-Western rhetoric that “Georgian Dream” has been practicing in this country for several years, and the fact that Georgia is no longer mentioned and there is no longer even a confirmation of what was recorded in the decision of the Bucharest Summit is a political message to the whole world, not only to us, that Georgia is no longer considered as a partner as it used to be, and that the processes of Georgia’s integration into NATO are at a standstill. This means that we are actually in a situation where Europe is telling us that the European integration process has stopped, and NATO is telling us that the NATO integration process has stopped. There is only one way to change this, and that is [through] the change of government.”
Ana Natsvlishvili, Lelo for Georgia, MP: “The government, which serves Russia, the interests of the Kremlin, not the interests of the Georgian people, has succeeded in stopping the process of the country’s integration into NATO. This is the most serious consequence of the Russian law and the Russian government’s policy.”
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
