Prime Minister Garibashvili congratulated two new EU candidates and acknowledged that Georgia is not expected to join NATO
The European Commission recommended that Ukraine be given the status of a candidate country for EU membership because it "is in a difficult situation, hostilities continue, Ukraine has lost 20% of its territories," Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a government meeting on June 20, justifying for someone unexpected, but for some quite expected decision of the EU.
According to him, Moldova received a similar recommendation because, under the current circumstances, “risks have increased significantly” for it. He only had to congratulate the Ukrainian and Moldovan peoples on being granted the status of candidate countries, as well as sigh sadly about his own country.
As for Georgia, according to Irakli Garibashvili, the provision of a “European perspective” by the European Commission to his country is allegedly “historic”. He said that after the approval of the requirements for Georgia by the EU summit on June 23-24, the conditions for granting the status of a candidate country, Tbilisi will immediately begin working with Brussels to solve the task.
The next day, June 21, he had to make another unhappy statement.
Georgia will not be able to become a NATO member without resolving territorial problems, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at the Qatari Economic Forum.
“We are motivated to become members of NATO. This is due to our strategic readiness and patience. We understand that membership in NATO depends not only on our desire, there must be a consensus among all the states of the North Atlantic Alliance,” he said. According to him, Georgia is "not naive" and understands that "first you need to solve territorial problems, and then become a member of NATO."
Irakli Garibashvili stressed that "the restoration of territorial integrity is possible only on the basis of peaceful negotiations." By his statement, the prime minister seemed to admit that Georgia is not, in fact, expected not only in the European Union, but also in NATO.
Thus, today it can be noted that every day the Georgian leadership looks more soberly and more realistically at its Euro-Atlantic prospects. As they say, the “moment of truth” is coming for Georgia, and, remaining alone, it is getting better and better to know the price of the promises of Western “friends and partners”.
Posted Jun 21, 2022, 2:37 PM UTC