Georgia Participates in Extraordinary NATO Ministerial
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, March 17, 2022
The meeting of the North Atlantic Council is being held at the NATO Headquarters, amidst Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ministerial along with the representatives of member states is also attended by the Defense Ministers of Georgia, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, and the EU.
The Minister of Defense of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze said that the meeting discussed the security environment, including the challenges facing Georgia together with Ukraine. According to the Minister, the speakers at the meeting stressed their support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, "which is a choice of the people." According to him, the Defense Ministers also discussed the possibility for the EU to grant Georgia and Ukraine the status of candidates in an accelerated fashion.
“The issue of Georgia has never been so topical in NATO before,” Burchuladze said, noting that each Minister took note of Georgia’s challenges alongside Ukraine.
In his remarks about the war in Ukraine, the Minister noted that the entire civilized world comprehends that escalation could lead us to a catastrophe. Burchuladze also emphasized that via sanctions and other mechanisms, the aim will be achieved in the medium and long-term, yet added that Georgian Dream’s government policy of not joining the sanctions doesn’t raise any questions in partner countries.
The meeting was opened by the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg who spoke about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and preparations for the NATO summit. He condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of supporting Ukraine.
Russia has been waging a war against Ukraine since February 24, preceded by President Putin's recognition of ‘independence’ of Ukraine's 2 breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Earlier, Russia demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO.
Putin has announced a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine to ‘demilitarize and denationalize’ Ukraine. The Russian army has been bombing not only military but also civilian facilities in Ukraine - homes, hospitals, and educational institutions, as Putin has announced yesterday, ‘special operation is being carried out in strict compliance with pre-approved plans’. The war has already claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians. Up to 3 million Ukrainians have become refugees.
