Medvedev: Georgia’s Enter into NATO May Have Catastrophic Results
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, August 7
Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Georgia's accession to NATO might have catastrophic consequences.
"Georgia's accession to NATO can provoke a terrible conflict. It is unclear who needs it? "- Dmitry Medvedev told the Kommersant radio.
He also said that in 2008 the armed conflict between Georgia and Tskhinvali could have been avoided.
The statement comes a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed the readiness of the alliance to accept Georgia, although he did not elaborate on the date.
About a month ago the Russian President Vladimir Putin also told Fox News that Russia would react "extremely negatively” to the membership of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO.
“For us, well, it is a direct and immediate threat to our national security,” Putin said and added that moving NATO infrastructure towards Russian borders "is a threat” for his country.
Putin stated that he was concerned by the expansion of NATO’s facilities and infrastructure.
“The number of servicemen is on the rise in regions where they should not be," Putin said.
“The military contingent in those regions has been increased by 10,000 people. This is non-compliant with the treaties between Russia and NATO. And this is a destabilizing factor, which we have to take into account,” Putin said.
Georgia could not receive the Membership Action Plan from NATO this year, which would send a clear signal of Georgia’s future NATO membership.
