Russia Urges NATO to Annul 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration Regarding Georgia’s Future Membership
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, December 14
On December 10, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged NATO to annul the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit decision which says that Georgia and Ukraine will become NATO members.
“To ensure the vital interests of European security, it is necessary to officially disavow the decision taken at the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest about “Ukraine and Georgia becoming NATO members” as contrary to the commitment undertaken by all the OSCE participating States “not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of other States,” Russian FM says.
Javier Colomina, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policy and Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia responded to the statement and stressed that Russia wants to dictate the choices of countries like Ukraine and Georgia regarding their future, adding that NATO remains committed to the decisions adopted in the 2008 Bucharest summit.
As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC on Sunday the door of NATO is open for Georgia and Ukraine and if the countries meet the requirements the process of their integration will advance. Blinken focused on the aggression of Russia towards Ukraine and stated that “if Russia continues to take reckless and aggressive actions, we will respond – and not only us, partners and allies around the world.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has noted that NATO'S position remains unchanged, stating that it is a fundamental principle that every nation has the right to choose its path.
“This is enshrined in many documents and agreements that Russia has signed too - everything from the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, to the Charter of Paris, to many other accords. It has been clearly stated that any sovereign independent nation, of course, has the right to choose its path, including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be part of.”
David Zalkaliani, Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the decision of the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit would not be revised. According to him, NATO is an organization based on principles and its regulations and not a single third party has the right to intervene in the decision about NATO enlargement.
“Any statement made by a third party regarding the revision of the Bucharest Summit decision, which is contrary to the fundamental principles and norms of international law, is unacceptable to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Georgian Foreign Ministry.
According to the Ministry, today, the main challenge of the European and Euro-Atlantic security architecture are the actions of the Russian Federation, which has occupied and annexed the territories of neighboring sovereign states, neglected the basic principles of international law, and has not fulfilled its international obligations.
