TBILISI AGAIN FEELS THREATENED BY MOSCOW

Abstract

(By Yury Roks. Nezavisimaya gazeta, April 1, 2016, p. 7. Complete text:) Russia’s permanent representative to NATO Aleksandr Grushko said that accession of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO would put Europe on brink of a large-scale crisis. Tbilisi regarded this remark, made on Rossia 24 TV channel, as yet another Russian challenge and threat to Georgian independence. ... Russia’s NATO representative called alliance’s actions and plans to accept Ukraine and Georgia into its ranks intolerable. I can’t imagine a situation where these countries would continue to harbor hopes of joining NATO***and that alliance would actually be preparing to accept them, because that would explode the situation and put Europe on brink of a crisis whose size and extent are impossible to imagine today, said Grushko. Earlier, he noted that will not stand idly by and watch as US increases its military presence in Europe. ... We are not passive observers; we are consistently taking all military actions we consider necessary to compensate for this increased presence, which, incidentally, is totally unjustified. Of course, response will be absolutely asymmetric. It will be fine-tuned to reflect our perception of extent of military threat, and to provide maximum efficiency without excessive cost, Aleksandr Grushko said in response to view expressed recently by NATO Commander in Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove that alliance should increase its contingent to protect Baltic states from Russia. ... It is not entirely clear why Aleksandr Grushko chose this particular time to declare unacceptability of admitting Georgia, in particular, to NATO. The only thing that comes to mind is that statement was preemptive. After all, Georgia is not about to be admitted into NATO any time soon. Moreover, at NATO summit in Warsaw this July, in spite of all requests and even demands, [Georgia] will not receive a NATO Membership Action Plan, which is final stage on way to a country’s admission into organization. It is impossible to join alliance without it. At least there has been no precedent. European leaders remain deaf to Georgian representatives’ reasons for accepting it or at least for [striving to achieve] maximum progress in integration process. ... According to knowledgeable sources, Germany and France categorically oppose Georgia’s admission to NATO, and rumor has it that other countries do, too. However, US and several countries of former socialist camp headed by Poland are lobbying for [Georgia’s] admission. At any rate, Tbilisi is in limbo on the issue of joining NATO. ... On one hand, Georgia has been complying with all of Brussels’s recommendations, receiving positive assessments from Brussels and actively participating in NATO activities, putting its citizens in harm’s way to perform military duty in special operations far beyond their homeland. But on other hand, Georgia seems no closer to joining NATO than it was a few years ago. The situation is so ambiguous that [Georgian] Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli and other high-ranking officials of country actually directly asked NATO leaders to make a final decision and, if they are not planning to accept Georgia, to stop playing games and allow [Georgia’s] government to draft state development plans that disregard possible membership in alliance. ... Aleksandr Grushko’s statement plays into hands of the political forces in Georgia that are planning to use Russian card in fall 2016 parliamentary election campaign. That is, almost all of them. And it is no wonder that reaction was instantaneous. There is hardly any point in quoting [specific] responses from Georgian politicians. The refrain of this large chorus is that Russia does not and will not consider Georgia an independent state; that statement from [Russia’s] permanent representative to NATO is a threat and blackmail; and that the balanced policy toward that current authorities are talking about is meaningless, because it has ultimately led to, among other things, aggressive statement by Russia’s permanent representative to NATO. And this is tantamount to interference in Georgia’s internal affairs. ... The [Georgian] authorities have so far been silent. President Georgy Margvelashvili merely recalled at a meeting with US administration officials in Washington that Georgia remains a reliable ally of West in fight against global threats, and is the only country in region whose stated purpose is to join NATO and European Union. ... However, Georgian president did not say this in response to Grushko’s statement. He was only once again indicating the direction of Tbilisi’s geopolitical vector, which Moscow finds so vexing.