Noble Partner - 2020 ("Worthy Partner - 2020") joint exercise with NATO has started in Georgia.
In addition to the Georgian military, representatives of the armed forces of the USA, Great Britain, France and Poland take part in them.
In total, about 2.8 thousand servicemen are involved in the maneuvers.
Noble Partner exercises are annual and are being held in Georgia for the fifth time.
In 2020, they will last until September 18.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exercises, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia called them a guarantee of peace in the country.
The purpose of the maneuvers, he said, is to improve the country's combat readiness and compatibility between the Georgian armed forces and NATO partners, as well as to maintain a stable and secure environment in the Black Sea region.
He also stressed that the maneuvers are not directed against anyone.
Gakharia said that the Georgian armed forces are actively involved in various peacekeeping missions, both under the auspices of the European Union and the United States.
According to him, such exercises are aimed at increasing "Euro-Atlantic compatibility".
“I thank our guests, our partners, because we all must understand well that this is extremely important for Georgia, this is our tomorrow and our Euro-Atlantic integration,” the Georgian TV channel 1TV quoted the prime minister as saying.
Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Garibashvili, speaking at the opening of the exercises, noted that the conduct of maneuvers in the context of the coronavirus pandemic "testifies to the allies' determination to uphold common values, despite any challenges."
"Military cooperation between Georgia and the United States has never been so powerful," the head of the defense department is quoted by the Kommersant newspaper.
He also thanked Washington for its important role in transforming the Georgian armed forces and for the $ 4 billion spent on strengthening Georgia's independence since 1992.
Threat to stability
Despite the words of the Georgian Prime Minister that the joint exercises with NATO are not directed against anyone, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia expressed serious concern about their conduct.
"The systematic increase in the scale and intensity of the operational training of the Georgian armed forces, through conducting such joint exercises, where Georgian servicemen have the opportunity to build up their combat potential and acquire additional skills in conducting combat operations," the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry said.
Such a practice of regular large-scale military exercises with the participation of the armed forces of Western countries poses a threat to peace and stability in the South Caucasus, the Abkhazian foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We would like to remind you that as a result of such a short-sighted and dangerous policy of the Western countries, actively contributing to the process of militarization of Georgia, there was a significant increase in revanchist sentiments in Georgia, which prompted the Georgian authorities to decide to start military aggression in August 2008,” the Foreign Ministry recalled republics.
The message emphasizes that as a symmetrical response to the destructive actions of Georgia and its Western partners, the Abkhaz side intends to strengthen military-technical cooperation with Russia.
“In connection with the above, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia regards the actions of Georgia, the United States and other NATO member states as openly provocative and aimed at destabilizing the situation in the South Caucasus.
In the event of a possible escalation of tensions in the zone of unresolved conflicts, full responsibility for the possible negative consequences rests with Georgia, the United States and NATO, ”reads the message released on the day of the start of the Noble Partner 2020 exercise.
Block aspirations
Let us remind that recently the Georgian authorities have repeatedly declared their desire to join NATO.
For example, at the end of February, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia wrote an article for The Washington Times, in which he stated that it was time for NATO to respond to the request for Tbilisi to join the alliance.
The Georgian prime minister justifies the necessity of granting membership in the bloc by the fact that Tbilisi makes a huge contribution to the "transatlantic alliance" and is vital to ensure the "geopolitical security" of the Black Sea.
NATO military in Georgia
© David Mdzinarishvili
He also noted that the Black Sea serves as a buffer zone that helps to protect Europe, NATO and vital US interests from hostile powers.
He named Russia as the main threat.
In early August, Gakharia said that "Georgia is fully ready to join NATO, and our partners see it."
He announced this during commemorative events timed to coincide with the 12th anniversary of the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.
The conflict unfolded after Georgian troops invaded the territory of South Ossetia on the night of August 7-8, 2008 and fired at the capital of the republic, Tskhinval, from Grad installations.
The then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the start of a military operation to enforce peace.
Despite the fact that Georgia has been actively cooperating with the North Atlantic Alliance since the 1990s, the bloc is in no hurry to accept Tbilisi into its ranks.
Thus, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly reported that although Tbilisi has made "significant progress" since 2008, the country still has a lot to do before joining the bloc.
Moreover, he pointed out that the timing of Georgia's admission to the alliance has not yet been determined.
"Corridor to the Caspian Sea"
For the Georgian authorities, the issue of joining NATO is seen as a springboard for integration into the European Union, Andrei Suzdaltsev, deputy dean of the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, said in an interview with RT.
“They remember that before joining the EU, the countries of Eastern Europe entered NATO.
Therefore, this topic is popular among the population.
But we understand that this is demagoguery, this will not happen in the foreseeable future, ”the expert noted.
As a military ally, the United States may be interested in Georgia only as a springboard for the transfer of troops in the event of a possible military conflict with Iran, the political scientist added.
“It is also a threat to Russia's southern border.
For us, Georgia is not so valuable.
We have a large base in Armenia.
For NATO, Georgia is of value as a southern corridor that provides access to the Caspian Sea, ”explained Andrei Suzdaltsev.
According to the political scientist, in the near future Georgia's prospects for becoming a full-fledged NATO member are very vague.
“The Alliance supports the thesis that they are allies and will provide support to Georgia if something happens, but this is more of a propaganda issue,” the expert emphasized.
In turn, Andrei Koshkin, a member of the Association of Military Political Scientists, noted in an interview with RT that NATO is more actively drawing Georgia to itself in order to drag it into the system of defense orders and rearmament and "keep it on a short leash."
“At the same time, Georgia is not going to be admitted to NATO and similar statements, which have been received since 2008, are designed for domestic consumption in order to support the desire of the Georgian public to be closer to Europe, to feel some movement towards the EU and NATO.
At the same time, keeping Tbilisi on a short leash, NATO does not seek to force Georgia's entry into the alliance, ”the military political scientist explained.
However, participation in the exercises allows NATO to get closer to the borders of Russia, added Andrei Koshkin.
"The leadership of the alliance is trying to moderately promise and keep a distance, while actively using the infrastructure of Georgia in order to provide military-political pressure on the Russian Federation," the political scientist noted, stressing that Russia controls the situation and can fully ensure the security of its southern frontiers.