Non-governmental organizations in Georgia condemned a statement by the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, which he made in Bratislava at the Global Security Forum. Garibashvili’s rhetoric matches the Kremlin’s narrative, the NGO said in a statement.
According to Garibashvili, one of the main reasons for the war in Ukraine was its desire to join NATO.
“We remind the Prime Minister that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is the choice of the Ukrainian people, which is confirmed by the constitution of Ukraine. We also remind you that the Helsinki Act defines the sovereign right of each country to join any treaty or union at its own discretion.
We regret that the speech of the Prime Minister of Georgia was fully consistent with the Kremlin’s narrative, according to which NATO expansion poses a threat to Russia. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister of Georgia did not take the opportunity to condemn the unjust and unprovoked attack of the Russian Federation upon Ukraine.
We also remind the Prime Minister that he represents a state whose people, by an absolute majority on the basis of the plebiscite held on January 5, 2008, supported Georgia’s membership in NATO. This choice is reinforced by Article 78 of the Georgian constitution, according to which the constitutional bodies must take all measures within their powers to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and NATO.”
On May 30, at the Global Security Forum in Bratislava, Garibashvili said that the reason for the war in Ukraine was its desire to become a member of NATO, and “we see the result.”
