Georgia: an entrance ramp to NATO

Georgy Kalatazishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The former representative of the USA in NATO, Victoria Nuland, visited Georgia. Today, she is Deputy Secretary of State of the USA. She is thought to be an experienced diplomat, and in diplomacy every gesture and every tiny detail are of great importance, as it could become a symbol. Nuland couldn’t have forgetten about this, when she decided to make the unveiling of a ramp for disabled people near the Stationary Office where President Margvelashvili and Premier Garibashvili’s offices are situation a central event of her visit.

During her meeting with both leaders Nuland said a lot of clichés on the USA’s support of Euro-Atlantic striving by Georgia. It would be strange to hear something different from representatives of a country which is an initiator of NATO. It is important for any alliance to show its attractiveness which is thought to be the main component of the soft power in the modern world. But it doesn’t mean that NATO and the USA are ready to welcome Georgia with its problems, the main of them is Russia’s resistance to NATO’s presence in the Caucasus. Thus, American diplomats always find ways to hint applicant countries that they have great problems with NATO membership.

After the meetings Nuland came down to the entrance of the Stationary Office and unveiled a rampant which enables disabled people to enter the building. Many war invalids which were hurt at the war of 2008 and NATO Afghan operations (Georgia lost 29 soldiers in Afghanistan) immediately used the rampant amid a swarm of photographers.

Speaking in front of them, Nuland repeated words on support of Georgian Euro-Atlantic intentions and thanked the Georgian nation for “a big contribution to common efforts on providing peace, democracy, human rights, and security”, stressing the word “common.” She simply reminded that Georgia is taking part in ISAF of its own volition and nobody makes its soldiers fight in Afghanistan. “Peace, democracy, human rights, and security in the whole world are in interests of Georgia,” Nuland said. Security is traditionally interpreted in a narrower way in Georgia, that’s why the authorities strive for NATO membership so enthusiastically.