Tag Archives: NATO

EU wants closer relations with Georgia

APRIL 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a show of solidarity, the European Union will speed up a deal with Georgia to improve integration of its political and economic links.

The foreign ministers of Germany and France, Frank- Walter Steinmeier and Laurent Fabius, announced the plan on a visit to Tbilisi.

Their main aim was to reassure Georgia that the West does want Georgia in its club.

“I am sure that by the end of June the agreement will have been signed and that it is an important milestone in the history of Georgian and European relations,” Mr Steinmeier said according to media reports.

Since Russia’s de facto annexation of Crimea, the West has sent conflicting messages to Georgia. US President Barack Obama said that neither Georgia nor Ukraine would be part of NATO, although the NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen then said that the Western military alliance wanted closer associations with both countries.

In any case, clearly wary of Georgia’s difficult relations with Russia, Mr Steinmeier and Mr Fabius were eager to underline that the cooperation deal with the EU did not preclude Georgian trade with Russia.

“We don’t see any contradiction between the signing of this agreement and Georgia’s economic relations with other countries, particularly Russia,” Mr Fabius said.

For Georgia, the turmoil in Ukraine has thrown its own thorny relationship with Russia, and NATO, back into the spotlight.

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(News report from Issue No. 182, published on April 30 2014)

NATO boosts Georgia and Armenia’s aspirations

APRIL 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Less than a week after US President Barack Obama said NATO would not invite Georgia to join, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen described Georgia as a “special partner”. Georgia is desperate to join NATO and Mr Rasmussen’s comments will have given its leaders hope that one day it will be a NATO member.

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(News report from Issue No. 179, published on April 9 2014)

Obama says no to Georgia’s NATO hopes

MARCH 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — It’s still unclear if Russia’s de facto annexation of Crimea has given Georgia’s drive to become part of NATO any real impetus.

Certainly, the Georgian government was hoping that this was the case. But the signals have been mixed.

At a meeting in Brussels, US President Barack Obama said that neither Georgia or Ukraine would join NATO soon.

“Neither Ukraine nor Georgia are currently on a path to NATO membership,” he said. “There has not been any immediate plans for expansion of NATO’s membership.”

This will have hurt Georgia’s government. It has been a keen supporter of NATO missions, including to Afghanistan. On as TV interview the following day, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili summed up the disappointment.

“Of course it was not a statement that caused much of our delight,” he said.

A week later, though, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was preparing to make a speech in which he will pledge more support for Georgia.

These are difficult, and confusing, times for aspirant-NATO members.

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(News report from Issue No. 178, published on April 2 2014)

Azerbaijan looks to NATO

MARCH 25 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan has signalled that it is interested in closer ties to NATO, just weeks after the de facto Russian annexation of Crimea.

Media reported that the Azerbaijani government wants to increase the number of officers it has serving at NATO offices around the world.

It has also submitted an updated version of its so-called Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO to cover 2014 and 2015. This is really just part of a process to allow Azerbaijan to work with NATO on various projects but in the current geopolitical climate it is important.

Crimea has thrown up various headaches for countries in the former Soviet Union. They want to work with Russia but they don’t want to be dominated by their former colonial master.

Azerbaijan’s relationship with Russia has been strained over the past couple of years. They have rowed over gas supplies. Azerbaijan has boosted its output to Europe, angering Moscow. In January, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited NATO HQ in Brussels, underling his commitment to the Western military alliance.

For NATO, Azerbaijan has been an important partner recently.

It not only has 90 soldiers in Afghanistan supporting NATO forces, but it has also played a role in the supply route from Europe to Afghanistan. Roughly 40% of so-called non-lethal cargo for NATO forces in Afghanistan passes through Azerbaijan.

Since the mid-2000s, Azerbaijan has gently re-aligned its foreign policy towards NATO. Although not as enthusiastic a NATO aspirant as neighbouring Georgia, Azerbaijan has said it is keen to extend its peace-keeping responsibilities.

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(News report from Issue No. 177, published on March 26 2014)

Georgian president visits troops in Afghanistan

MARCH 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili made a surprise trip to visit Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan. Keen to boost its Western-leaning credentials, Georgia has been an enthusiastic supporter of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. It has also pledged to help Afghanistan rebuild.

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(News report from Issue No. 176, published on March 19 2014)

NATO beckons Georgia

MARCH 12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia’s annexation of Crimea has, seemingly, changed the world order. Commentators have been discussing a new Cold War and the return of the East-West standoff. Russia’s swift, aggressive action in Crimea has scared the West.

Ironically, one country which may stand to benefit from the Crimea issue is Georgia — which Russia invaded in 2008.

Georgia is the most pro-Western of the former Soviet states of Central Asia and the South Caucasus and it has lobbied hard for membership to NATO and the EU.

But while these Western clubs have welcomed Georgia’s eagerness, they have also sounded caution while its vibrant political system went through the motions of picking a new leader.

Georgia survived the trauma of picking new leaders in 2012 and 2013, underlining its stability and credibility as a democratic nation. If this has endeared Georgia to the West, Russian action in Crimea may have nudged it even further into their arms.

Prominent commentators are now calling for Georgia to be given full membership status of NATO and the EU.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted sources at NATO’s HQ in Brussels and the US State Department.

“If Russia announces annexation of the Crimea, the issue of granting Georgia a MAP (membership action plan) can be considered virtually a foregone conclusion,” Kommersant quoted an unnamed source in the US State Department as saying.

Crimea is now part of Russia. Perhaps it won’t be long before Georgia is finally part of NATO.

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(News report from Issue No. 176, published on March 19 2014)

Uzbekistan backs Kiev against Moscow

MARCH 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — If Georgia’s support for the revolution in Ukraine was no surprise, Uzbekistan’s apparent concern about the territorial integrity of Ukraine is.

Uzbekistan was the first from the block of former Soviet states that you would have bet on supporting Russia to break ranks.

“Events in Ukraine … create a real threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and have caused deep anxiety and concern in Uzbekistan,” the Uzbek foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Uzbekistan has a reputation for isolationism. It has awkward relations with its neighbours and has stayed clear of the Russian-led Customs Union.

Even so, Uzbekistan is part of the military orientated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which includes Russia, China and most of Central Asia. Russia is also an important economic partner for Uzbekistan.

For Uzbekistan to issue such a statement criticising the Russian military’s deployment in Ukraine is risky. Uzbekistan’s relations with its former colonial master have been patchy and, after this proclamation, may be even patchier.

Perhaps spurring Uzbekistan on in the background is its current ties to NATO. NATO is paying Uzbekistan handsomely to shift its kit from Afghanistan back home. Uzbekistan, possibly, had one eye on their current benefactors when issuing the statement.

(News report from Issue No. 174, published on March 5 2014)

The US extends military aid to Uzbekistan

FEB. 11 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — The US has extended military aid to Uzbekistan despite human rights concerns, eurasianet.org reported. Over the last couple of years, Uzbekistan has become a key NATO ally helping it to extract kit out of neighbouring Afghanistan. The US Congress has to agree on military support for Uzbekistan every six months.

(News report from Issue No. 171, published on Feb. 12 2014)

NATO withdrawal can increase tensions in Uzbekistan

JAN. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a speech at a military parade, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said the withdrawal of NATO soldiers from Afghanistan would increase tension along the Uzbek-Afghan border and could give Islamic militants the chance to attack. NATO soldiers are planning on withdrawing steadily through 2014.

(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)

Uzbek delegation visits the US

DEC. 11 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Kamilov led a delegation to Washington to meet with US State Department officials for annual talks, media reported. No details of the conversation were made public but the focus would have been on relations between the two countries and NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan next year.

(News report from Issue No. 165, published on Dec. 18 2013)