The role of the "vanguard": why NATO Secretary General called on Georgia to prepare to join the alliance

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the Georgian authorities to act towards rapprochement with the alliance, as well as prepare for joining the military bloc.

Stoltenberg stated this, speaking at a press conference following talks with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in Brussels.

“I encourage you to continue to take full advantage of all opportunities for rapprochement with NATO.

And prepare to join.

We look forward to Georgia's (parliamentary) elections next month meeting the highest international standards.

This is important for Georgia and NATO, ”Stoltenberg said.

• Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• Flickr

• © NATO

Let us remind you that the parliamentary campaign in Georgia is scheduled for October 31.

Citizens will have to elect 150 deputies, of whom 120 will be elected by party lists, and another 30 by voting in single-mandate constituencies.

During the talks in Brussels, the leaders of Georgia and NATO paid special attention to the issue of the presence of alliance forces in the Black Sea.

“Also during today's meeting we noted the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Georgia and NATO countries.

Therefore, I welcome any possible joint action in this regard, ”added Stoltenberg.

He explained that the parties are now exploring the possibility of expanding cooperation, including the exchange of data on air traffic.

"This is extremely important for the interests of Georgia and the NATO countries in this (Black Sea. -

) region, where in the past few years there has been a significant increase in the Russian presence," the secretary general of the alliance stressed.

Giorgi Gakharia in his speech also touched upon the security issue of the Black Sea region.

“We stressed the importance of creating a practical mechanism for strengthening security in the Black Sea.

Security in the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important aspect of our cooperation.

We also discussed the role of Georgia in the limited context of the South Caucasus region and stressed the importance of our role outside of it, on the scale of the Greater Black Sea region, ”he said.

"Unresolved territorial disputes"

In August 2020, the head of the Georgian Cabinet of Ministers has already announced that the republic's leadership intends to certainly complete the process of Georgia's integration into NATO.

He also said that today Georgia "is fully ready to join NATO."

“Our partners see and appreciate it,” he added.

In April 2020, US Permanent Representative to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, announced that the alliance will continue to make efforts to include Georgia and Ukraine.

She stated this during a press conference on the eve of the talks between the foreign ministers of the alliance member states.

• American and Georgian military personnel during Noble Partner 2018 exercise in Georgia

• Reuters

• © David Mdzinarishvili

“We are committed to ensuring that all these countries (Georgia, Ukraine, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. -

) become NATO members in the future.

We want to include all of them in the alliance.

We have visited both Georgia and Ukraine, ”the American diplomat said.

Official Tbilisi has long and persistently reminds its partners in the North Atlantic Alliance of its readiness to integrate into the bloc.

For example, in February 2020, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia published an article in The Washington Times in which he stated that it was time for NATO to respond to a request for Tbilisi to join the alliance.

According to the politician, an argument in favor of this decision may be the fact that Tbilisi makes a huge contribution to the "transatlantic alliance" and is vital to ensure the "geopolitical security" of the Black Sea.

Gakharia explained that the Black Sea serves as a buffer zone that helps protect Europe, NATO and vital US interests from hostile powers.

He named Russia as the main threat.

At the same time, experts are convinced that in the foreseeable future, Georgia has no chance of joining the North Atlantic Alliance.

As Andrei Suzdaltsev, deputy dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics, noted in an interview with RT, the alliance cannot make Georgia a member, since the country has territorial disputes with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“A country with unresolved territorial disputes has little chance of joining NATO.

But at the same time, the leadership of the alliance will still support Tbilisi's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, ”the expert explained.

A similar point of view is shared by the doctor of political sciences, a member of the scientific council at the Russian Security Council, Andrei Manoilo.

“Stoltenberg’s appeal is groundless, since Georgia can become a NATO member only after it resolves its territorial disputes.

And there are no tendencies for this yet, "the expert explained in a comment to RT.

Black Sea interests

Let us remind you that Georgia showed interest in joining NATO back in 1992, when it joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC).

In practice, Tbilisi's interaction with the alliance began in 1994, after the republic joined the Partnership for Peace program.

A new stage in relations between Georgia and NATO began after the 2003 Rose Revolution and Mikhail Saakashvili's rise to power.

Back in 2006, the politician stated that Georgia meets all the criteria for integration into NATO, emphasized that this will give Europe access to the Black Sea and Central Asia, and will also allow establishing closer ties with the countries of the Middle East.

• Mikhail Saakashvili

• © Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters

In 2008, NATO member states agreed at a summit in Bucharest that Georgia would be able to join the alliance on condition that it fulfills all the necessary requirements.

Since 2008, the NATO-Georgia Special Commission has been working to maintain close dialogue and cooperation between the parties for the republic to carry out reforms aimed at integrating the country into the alliance.

Another stage in relations between Georgia and NATO started in 2014, when a package of additional measures was adopted at the alliance's summit in Wales, designed to move Tbilisi towards joining the military bloc.

Joint military exercises in the Black Sea area are an important element of cooperation between NATO and Georgia.

So, in April 2020, two Georgian Island-class patrol boats and five ships of the alliance member countries conducted joint maneuvers in the Black Sea.

In the summer, Georgia also took part in the US-Ukrainian military exercises Sea Breeze 2020, along with Bulgaria, Norway, Romania, Spain and Turkey.

As stated in a statement published on the website of the US 6th Fleet, the purpose of the maneuvers was to create a "joint capability" to ensure maritime security in the region.

According to the head of the regional security sector of the RISS Center for Defense Studies, Sergei Yermakov, now the US and NATO are actively using Georgia as a springboard to increase their military potential in the Black Sea region.

“Stoltenberg’s statement should not be taken seriously, it’s an ordinary phrase, since the alliance is not going to accept Georgia as a member.

But at the same time, Georgia is invited to bear all the obligations that full-fledged members of the alliance bear, to strengthen the eastern flank of NATO, "the expert explained in an interview with RT.

Sergei Ermakov also noted that due to geopolitical circumstances, the Black Sea has a truly strategic significance for NATO.

“And against the background of how difficult the relations of the alliance with Turkey have been lately, the role of such Black Sea allies of the United States and NATO as Georgia is growing,” the expert added.

Andrey Suzdaltsev adheres to a similar point of view.

According to the expert, the strengthening of Russia's positions in the Black Sea, which Jens Stoltenberg spoke about, is associated, in particular, with the return of Crimea to it.

• Exercise Sea Breeze 2020

• © Ukrainian Defense Ministry / Handout via REUTERS

“Now Russia controls most of the Black Sea region, even dominates there.

And this is very painful for the NATO countries.

Not to mention the fact that the Black Sea plays an important role for the situation in the Middle East - the Russian group in Syria is supplied through the Black Sea straits, ”the expert noted.

At the same time, integration with NATO itself does not bode well for Georgia, experts say.

According to Andrei Suzdaltsev, in this case Georgia will put under the control of the alliance not only its armed forces, but also political life.

“Tbilisi will receive decommissioned NATO equipment and training manuals and at the same time play the role of a“ vanguard ”in the event of a conflict between NATO and Russia, which will be the first to suffer losses,” concluded the expert.