The statement made at the NATO Bucharest Summit in 2008 that Georgia would become a member of NATO "was followed by war processes in Georgia," said Nino Tsilosani, Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament and Georgian Dream MP.
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In the declaration of the Washington summit adopted by NATO leaders on July 10, Georgia is mentioned only once, and there is no indication that the country will become a member of the alliance. Specifically, NATO leaders call on Russia to "withdraw its forces from the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, which are stationed there without their consent."
"It is important to note in the NATO declaration that once again there is a demand for Russian troops to leave Georgian territory. This reaffirms the recognition of Georgia's territorial integrity and the support of the Western world. Against this backdrop, we have observed considerable opposition noise throughout the morning. Guka Petriashvili's post particularly caught my attention. He draws a parallel to the statement made at the 2008 NATO summit, which, while not confirmed at the time, according to subsequent assessments, was followed by military developments in Georgia in 2008.
When opposition politicians and others draw parallels to NATO's 2008 statement regarding escalation and war tensions, they express a desire for similar support. This sentiment should not be underestimated.
Given our national responsibility, we hope that any remarks or statements are non-provocative and carry minimal risk, as at this stage, unfortunately, Georgia does not enjoy the protective umbrella of NATO. Unlike NATO member states, we are always more cautious in our statements, and we ask our partners to consider this in their approach," said Nino Tsilosani.
At the Bucharest summit on April 3, 2008, NATO leaders agreed that Georgia and Ukraine would become NATO members. Every summit declaration since then, except for those in 2022 and 2024, has reiterated this agreement reached in Bucharest.
Teona Akubardia, Deputy Chair of the Parliament's Defense and Security Committee, views the results of the Washington summit as a "complete disaster" for Georgia.
"We see that Georgia's NATO progress has been halted. This stems from the adoption of the Russian Law. Our army, which has made significant sacrifices for Georgia's NATO advancement, now remains entirely vulnerable and alone in the face of Russian aggression. All of this appears to be a well-orchestrated operation by the Kremlin and Georgian Dream," Akubardia stated.
Nodar Kharshiladze, founder of the Strategic Analysis Center, said that the Washington summit declaration, which does not mention Georgia separately at all, represents "one of the most challenging moments" in NATO-Georgia relations. "This appears to be a setback in Georgia's history, likely a result of Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili's and Georgian Dream's struggle against global forces. It is regrettable that we have reached this point," Kharshiladze concluded.
