NATO
THE ALLIANCE PERSPECTIVE
gives Georgia access to operational planning, streamlined participation in exercises and regular political consultations for NATO’s closest and most interoperable partners. NATO also agreed to expand its liaison office in Tbilisi. On 27 August 2015, the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre was inaugurated by Georgian leaders and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at its new headquarters in Krtsanisi. It is now part of Georgia’s Training and Military Education Command. Furthermore, in 2015 Georgia became the fourth nonmember state to join NATO’s Response Force. The force is made up of highly trained and technologically advanced multinational troops, tasked to defend any ally and deploy anywhere in the world to combat threats. In his speech, exPrime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated at the Peacekeeping Summit: “We will be the fourth non-member country in the NFR, which indicates the high level of cooperation between the Georgian Armed Forces and the Alliance. Today, the NFR reserve includes 130 Georgian soldiers.” Georgia is becoming increasingly integrated with NATO with each passing year. The country is participating in NATO missions and training, and its capabilities are no less than any other member country of NATO. Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Janelidze said at an Atlantic Council event on NATO enlargement: “Out of Warsaw, we are expecting a very clear signal of the integration process of Georgia and membership integration process, and also clear signals about the practical ways [in which] to strengthen... our cooperation and partnership with the Alliance.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a meeting with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, stated: “At the Warsaw Summit next month, we will further strengthen our package of support for Georgia.”
RUSSIAN OPPOSITION The prospects for further NATO enlargement, especially to the East, have been repeatedly opposed by the Kremlin. In May, Russian Envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko warned that Georgia’s bid to join NATO carries colossal risks and would be a blow to European security.
Milo Dukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Montenegro will become the Alliance’s 29th member at this year’s Warsaw Summit
Equally important is that NATO expansion is of particular interest to many Members of US Congress, who argue that continued enlargement would send an important signal to aspiring members that NATO’s Open Door Policy will not be scaled back in the face of Russian opposition. They add that Russia would be less willing and less able to take the aggressive actions it has in Ukraine, Georgia and elsewhere in its nearabroad if these countries were members of the Alliance. While there is no membership checklist for interested nations, NATO has made clear that candidates for membership must meet the following criteria: ~~ Uphold democracy, including tolerance for diversity; ~~ Be progressing towards a market economy; ~~ Have their military forces under firm civilian control; ~~ Be good neighbours and respect the sovereignty of other nations; and ~~ Work towards interoperability with NATO forces. Again, while these criteria are essential, they do not constitute a checklist leading automatically to NATO membership. With the NATO Summit in Warsaw coming at a landmark moment for the allies – demonstrating yet again that security of the Euro-Atlantic region is stronger when matched with political unity – the Open Door Policy and its realisation of membership for Montenegro will be a key political outcome for the Alliance.
Vasil Sikharulidze is currently Chairman of the Atlantic Council of Georgia. In 2006-08, he was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2008-09, he served as Georgia’s Minister of Defence. Rati Bakhtadze is Executive Director of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association of Georgia, serving leadership roles in YATA activities for the past three years
STRENGTHENING PEACE AND SECURIT Y
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