Georgian Parliament Speaker criticises Mark Rutte’s remarks, says NATO must end “ambiguity” on Georgia

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday criticised recent comments by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, arguing that the Alliance must stop “pointing fingers” at Georgia and finally make clear decisions about the country’s membership prospects.

Speaking to journalists, Papuashvili responded to Rutte’s remarks made to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, in which Rutte said that any country wishing to join NATO can express its desire and then “the process begins”.

“If we are talking about naivety, the Georgian people are no longer naïve about such statements,” Papuashvili said. “NATO should finally clarify what it wants. The Georgian people see very well what we are dealing with. In 2008 they told us the door was open. Seventeen years have passed since then, and Georgia has done everything - institutionally, militarily, even by entering wars and fighting side by side with NATO soldiers. We are standing at this so-called open door, in a crosswind, and instead of making a decision, they keep Georgia in uncertainty and ambiguity”.

Papuashvili emphasised that Georgia has demonstrated exceptional commitment to NATO missions, even compared to the Netherlands, the country Rutte previously served as prime minister.

“The country Mr. Rutte represents, and where he was prime minister, sent a contingent to Afghanistan that was ten times smaller than what Georgia contributed”, he said. “So the finger-pointing and questioning directed at us must stop. The ball is entirely on NATO’s side. Georgia has done everything required to become a member. Not only have we expressed our desire - this is written in our Constitution. Yet it seems convenient for some that Georgia, Ukraine, and similar countries remain stuck in limbo - neither here nor there. This actually increases our security risks rather than reducing them”.

He also cited Ukraine as an example of NATO’s reluctance to commit.

“When the war began in 2022, President Zelensky came out and said: ‘Tell us once and for all - are you taking us into NATO or not?’ They said neither yes nor no”, Papuashvili noted. “In terms of compatibility, institutional development, governance, anti-corruption performance, and more, Georgia surpasses 7 or 8 NATO member states”.

Papuashvili stressed that NATO must end its strategic ambiguity.

“NATO should finally decide what it wants. Keeping entire nations in uncertainty is unacceptable. The Georgian people are no longer naïve enough to believe pretty words. We don’t need talk of open doors and invitations - we need decisions”, he said.