Georgia Calls Russia's Demands on NATO Membership Unacceptable

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia considers Russia's statement regarding NATO enlargement as "unacceptable," reports "Georgia Online." On December 10, Moscow demanded the official annulment of the decision made at the Bucharest Summit, which opened the doors of the alliance to Tbilisi and Kyiv. However, Tbilisi emphasizes that no third country can influence this decision.

"On April 3, 2008, the heads of NATO member states decided at the Bucharest Summit that Georgia (and Ukraine) would become members of NATO. This was an extremely important political decision based on consensus. It is based on the fundamental principle of international law, which states that all states have the sovereign right to choose their foreign policy direction. At the same time, this decision is in line with Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that any European country that shares the principles of the treaty and contributes to the security of the North Atlantic area can become a member of NATO.

NATO membership is a sovereign decision of Georgia, based on the unwavering will of the majority of the Georgian population. This goal is also reflected in the Constitution of Georgia. It should be noted that the decision made at the Bucharest Summit has been reiterated at all NATO summits held since 2008. Furthermore, the communiqué adopted at the NATO summit in Brussels in 2021 emphasizes that allies find any interference from a third party in determining a country’s foreign priorities unacceptable.

Considering the above, any statements from third parties regarding the revision of the Bucharest Summit decision, which contradict the fundamental principles and norms of international law, are unacceptable to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," reads the statement published by the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.