On 23 August, in an interview with the Georgian edition of Voice of America, former NATO Commander James Stavridis said that NATO membership for Georgia will become more realistic if the country’s occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali are viewed as frozen conflicts.
“Unfortunately, as time goes on, South Ossetia and Abkhazia have become...frozen conflicts… This actually increases Georgia's chances of joining NATO. I think the same about Ukraine. It is unlikely that Crimea will return to Ukraine soon, or that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will return to Georgia soon. But if we assume that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are frozen conflicts, that this is a fact that we cannot change, I think the door will be opened for Georgia to become a full member of NATO, and perhaps, in time, for Ukraine as well,” he said.
Stavridis added that the perception of a frozen conflict does not automatically mean that Georgia surrenders its territories, as the country could return the occupied territories over time as a member of NATO, but that the whole decision to make such a step lies in the hands of the Georgian authorities.
He also noted that back in 2008 during the Russian-Georgian war the response of the West 'was inadequate'. "I think we should have imposed massive sanctions. Later, we learned this lesson in Ukraine. But I think at that time there was still hope that somehow, we could reset relations with Russia, find a better way, not suddenly embark on a new Cold War,” Stavridis said.
A week earlier, another former NATO General Philip Mark Breedlove who led the US European Command and served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations between 2013-2016, praised Georgia’s involvement in the alliance. He said that one of the first things he learned after taking the NATO command was how much effort Georgia had undertaken for getting closer to NATO standards in governance, justice and more.
He added that the country contributed more in Afghanistan than any other allied peacekeeping force in the country and exceeded all expectations militarily, the retired commander noted while adding he thought the country was on the final stretch in terms of its contributions. Breedlove also praised Georgian troops for standing next to their American counterparts in all types of missions and developing mutually appreciative relations with the US Marine Corps.
US Congressman Adam Kinzinger also recently voiced his firm support for Georgia to become a member of NATO. “I believe it's time for Georgia to be [a full] member of NATO - I'm sure a lot of my friends on here agree with that. And in fact, the fact that Georgia is occupied shouldn't be the reason that Georgia does not come into NATO - it should actually be the impetus to get them in there," he said.
