The question of why Georgia’s government was once again excluded from regional political and security events as well as the NATO summit in Turkey, which may indicate Tbilisi’s political isolation, has sparked a renewed debate in the country’s political and civil society spheres.
NATO allies like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and Ukraine were invited to Ankara to attend regional security-focused events, just like at previous summits. However, for the first time, Georgia, a former important NATO ally, was not included in the official summit schedule or the forums that accompanied it.
Tbilisi’s absence from the alliance agenda this time sparked a political debate in Georgia about whether the country has lost its political importance or influence. Over the past ten years, Georgia has repeatedly stated its approach to the EU and NATO as national strategies.
Representatives of Georgia’s ruling party denied claims of political isolation and asserted that the summit in Ankara did not feature the kinds of gatherings Georgia has previously attended.”We have no problem attending the summit, ask the organizers why we are not represented,” Georgian Dream MP Irakli Kirtskhalia told reporters in Tbilisi.
In response, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry stated that Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili would be attending a different event in Turkey dubbed “Allies in Ankara,” but claimed it was a component of the Munich Security Conference, which detractors pointed out had nothing to do with the NATO meeting.
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