Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General who arrived in Tbilisi to familiarize himself with the course of the command and staff exercises of Georgia and NATO, made a number of statements urging Russia to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia’s independence, stressing the North Atlantic Alliance’s sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
The “NATO-Georgia 2019” command and staff exercises opened on March 18 in the territory of the Center for the support of exercises and military education near Tbilisi. Participation in them is taken by the military personnel from 24 member countries of the alliance and its partners. The exercises are held for the first time under the command of the General Staff of Georgia. The purpose of the exercise is the need to increase the interoperability of the Georgian armed forces with NATO forces as well as to work out possible methods of responding to security threats arising in relation to non-member states.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia regards the regular exercises of Georgia and NATO as an open challenge to national security. We urge Tbilisi and Brussels to realize the destructiveness of such a frank demonstration of their military ambitions.
The duty statements of Georgia’s western partners in support of their client are unlikely to surprise anyone - they have long been part of the propaganda rhetoric of Washington and Brussels. At the same time, such ritual statements, coupled with the support of politicized Georgian resolutions at international platforms and the encouragement of military-political cooperation with NATO, give Georgian leaders high expectations, fuel militaristic sentiments and undermine efforts to ensure peace and security in the Caucasus.
Tbilisi’s frank stakes on forced integration into NATO’s military structures make the declared “peacefulness” of Georgia all the more dubious. No "friendly" statements by Georgian officials can hide the fact that Georgia, with the support of western partners, is making efforts to increase its military potential. It is completely incomprehensible to what alleged “security threats” Georgia is going to respond with its Western friends.
We are convinced that the active process of Georgia’s interaction with NATO should be the subject of serious discussion by international mediators and participants in the consultations in Geneva. A clear understanding is needed that possible attempts by Tbilisi to undermine efforts to ensure peace and security in Transcaucasia will be harshly suppressed.
The “NATO-Georgia 2019” command and staff exercises opened on March 18 in the territory of the Center for the support of exercises and military education near Tbilisi. Participation in them is taken by the military personnel from 24 member countries of the alliance and its partners. The exercises are held for the first time under the command of the General Staff of Georgia. The purpose of the exercise is the need to increase the interoperability of the Georgian armed forces with NATO forces as well as to work out possible methods of responding to security threats arising in relation to non-member states.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia regards the regular exercises of Georgia and NATO as an open challenge to national security. We urge Tbilisi and Brussels to realize the destructiveness of such a frank demonstration of their military ambitions.
The duty statements of Georgia’s western partners in support of their client are unlikely to surprise anyone - they have long been part of the propaganda rhetoric of Washington and Brussels. At the same time, such ritual statements, coupled with the support of politicized Georgian resolutions at international platforms and the encouragement of military-political cooperation with NATO, give Georgian leaders high expectations, fuel militaristic sentiments and undermine efforts to ensure peace and security in the Caucasus.
Tbilisi’s frank stakes on forced integration into NATO’s military structures make the declared “peacefulness” of Georgia all the more dubious. No "friendly" statements by Georgian officials can hide the fact that Georgia, with the support of western partners, is making efforts to increase its military potential. It is completely incomprehensible to what alleged “security threats” Georgia is going to respond with its Western friends.
We are convinced that the active process of Georgia’s interaction with NATO should be the subject of serious discussion by international mediators and participants in the consultations in Geneva. A clear understanding is needed that possible attempts by Tbilisi to undermine efforts to ensure peace and security in Transcaucasia will be harshly suppressed.