The decision not to invite Georgia to the NATO summit has sparked controversy in the country
A political debate has erupted in Georgia after the country was not invited to the NATO summit in Ankara. The opposition and some experts view this as a sign of deteriorating relations with the West, while the government insists that there is no isolation.
The debate centers on why Georgia—which for years has declared its commitment to joining NATO and the EU—was not represented at the Alliance’s events this time, while other partner countries received invitations.
Following the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, a lively political debate began in Georgia. The reason was that the Georgian delegation was not invited to the summit itself or to the related political and security events this year. As with previous summits, NATO invited a number of partner countries to participate. Representatives from Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates arrived in Ankara. At the same time, Georgia was not among the participants.
Just a few years ago, Tbilisi was considered one of NATO’s closest partners in the region. The path toward joining the Alliance and the European Union officially remained one of the Georgian state’s top priorities. That is precisely why the country’s absence from the current summit raised many questions among both politicians and experts.
The ruling Georgian Dream party insists there is no basis for far-reaching conclusions. They claim that this year’s summit simply did not include the type of meetings in which Georgia had previously participated. Irakli Kirtzkhalia, a member of parliament from the ruling party, stated: “We have no issues with participating in the summit; ask the organizers why we are not represented there.”
The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasized that Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili will still travel to Turkey. She will take part in the “Allies in Ankara” event, organized as part of the Munich Security Conference. “For Georgia, this is an important opportunity to present the country’s positions and its regional role to our partners,” Bochorishvili said.
However, critics of the government point out that this forum has no direct connection to the NATO summit and cannot be considered an alternative to it. Grigol Gegelia, a representative of the opposition party “Lelo,” stated that for the first time in modern history, Georgia is not represented at the NATO summit, although it previously participated regularly in such events.
Levan Dolidze, Georgia’s former ambassador to NATO, also expressed concern about the situation. In his view, Tbilisi’s relations with its Western partners have significantly deteriorated in recent years. “Georgia is now effectively in a state of confrontation with its former strategic partners, which is clearly affecting the country’s relations with NATO and the EU,” Dolidze said.
He added that a foreign policy leading to international isolation could seriously harm the country’s national interests. Against the backdrop of these statements, debates continue in Georgia over the future of the country’s Euro-Atlantic course. Some politicians are convinced that the country’s absence from the summit is an alarming sign. Government officials, for their part, insist that cooperation with Western partners continues and that the situation should not be dramatized. This was reported by Euronews.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has drafted a bill that would impose stricter conditions for foreign students and married couples to obtain residence permits. The bill is scheduled for expedited consideration in parliament on June 23.
