Waiting for NATO summit

The Wales NATO summit is to be held this September. It is for certain that Georgia will not be granted the Membership Action Plan (MAP), as several NATO members are against it. Analysts presume that in return, Georgia will be granted various programs that will provide deeper cooperation between the alliance and Georgia. Presumably, this step would facilitate Georgia’s final integration with the alliance.

Currently, NATO has to make some crucial decisions. The Ukrainian crisis, the cold-war type confrontation between the west and Russia, sanctions against Russia from the United States and EU countries and other European states. These and other challenges have to be responded to at the upcoming NATO summit.

How NATO ideology is prepared to deal with all the challenges will be illustrated after the summit. Georgia is repeatedly stating that its decision to join the NATO is irreversible. However, Georgian analysts, politicians and most of all, the Georgian people, want to have something concrete in this direction. Tbilisi needs solid guarantees for its safety and security owing to the threats from Russia, including cyber assistance as well.

Moscow campaigns against NATO enlargement in terms of the former Soviet Union countries. The Kremlin repeats that it will not allow such developments.

In fact, this attitude has given some results and Georgia is the only country from the Soviet countries that wants to join NATO.

Analysts think that at this stage, receiving the status of a major ally among the non-NATO countries is essential for Georgia. The United States Senate drafted a bill to accept Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova as the major allies of the United States that make it easier for the United States to provide military assistance for the countries.

The term “major non-NATO ally” has existed in the United States since 1987 and the United States has granted the status to 15 countries: Australia, Afghanistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines, Japan and Israel.

The status includes active bilateral relations, carrying out defensive operations, military research, participation in limited anti-terrorist operations, and providing specific equipment. The status does not guarantee assistance of a country in case of attack.

Georgian analysts think that this status is necessary for Georgia, as it gives it a chance to receive real and substantial military and political support.