Parliament Speaker says MAP should not be reason for political controversies
By Messenger Staff
Monday, August 31
He also stated that MAP was a technical lever that should not become a cause of political controversy.
“I told the Secretary General that we do not want MAP to become a political topic, as MAP is a technical tool. From the political point of view, it was said at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Georgia will become a NATO member state and in this political part of the issue there has been complete clarity, but with the technical part of the issue – the MAP – there is the danger that it might become a matter of political speculation.
“Thus we should work a lot with NATO and its individual members in order to not make this issue an obstacle, and no one wants to make it an obstacle and if it’s not an obstacle let’s solve it over the coming months ahead of the Warsaw summit.
“What we need is NATO membership, not MAP; what we do not need is an obstacle, whatever it is called – MAP or something else; so the obstacles should be removed,” Usupashvili said.
Stoltenberg has stated that the MAP should not be described as the “only indicator” of Georgia’s advancement to the alliance path.
He also stressed that NATO’s more presence in Georgia, more joint projects and trainings would promote Georgia more that the MAP.
Therefore, according to him Georgia’s fate concerning NATO membership next year Warsaw summit had not been specified over the tool.
Such statements in many cases are understood in Georgia that NATO will still refuse MAP.
If NATO really wants closer cooperation with Georgia and if we really can count on NATO let the alliance give us MAP. Let MAP be one of the indicators that we have a chance of further success.
When the alliance denies to grant the technical tool that does not envisage any genuine support in the process of conflict how can we be sure that we will be able to count on the alliance in the case of dangerous Russian aggression?
A Membership Action Plan (MAP) should not be an obstacle on Georgia’s path to NATO accession and the Alliance should bring clarity to this issue by the time of its summit in Warsaw next year, Georgian Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili said on August 27.
He told journalists after meeting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who visited Tbilisi on August 26-27, that MAP should not be an issue of “political speculation”.
“I told the Secretary General that we do not want MAP to become a political topic, as MAP is a technical tool. From the political point of view, it was said at the 2008 Bucharest summit that Georgia will become a NATO member state and in this political part of the issue there has been complete clarity, but with the technical part of the issue – the MAP – there is the danger that it might become a matter of political speculation.
“Thus we should work a lot with NATO and its individual members in order to not make this issue an obstacle, and no one wants to make it an obstacle and if it’s not an obstacle let’s solve it over the coming months ahead of the Warsaw summit.
“What we need is NATO membership, not MAP; what we do not need is an obstacle, whatever it is called – MAP or something else; so the obstacles should be removed.
“As far as we need to bring clarity to this issue, we ask our colleagues in NATO member states to do it in order not to make it an issue of political speculation. Tools that Georgia now has are unique – the substantial package, which also includes the joint training center, are those instruments, which make the process of [NATO integration] actually irreversible and because that’s the case let’s call it by its right name. [Membership] through MAP or without MAP – these are the issues on which we will agree. What is most important is that everyone should understand that Georgia’s NATO membership and our steps in this direction aim at stability and peace in the region and not the contrary. Everyone should understand this both within and outside the country,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said in Tbilisi on August 27 that it’s now early to say what the decision of next year’s NATO summit will be in respect of MAP.
At the summit in Bucharest in 2008 NATO leaders decided that Georgia will become a member of the alliance, but MAP should be the next stage on country’s path towards eventual membership. Georgia has been denied MAP since then.