Georgia slams NATO's "word-only" support

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili has publicly criticised NATO, asserting that the alliance offers "only words" to Georgia rather than concrete security guarantees. 

Papuashvili's remarks came in response to a recent statement from the NATO Liaison Office, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

The NATO Liaison Office had reaffirmed the alliance's enduring support for the decisions made at the Bucharest Summit and subsequent meetings, which pledged Georgia's future membership in NATO. However, Papuashvili dismissed such declarations as insufficient.

"The statement is good, but no one will protect a country's security with a statement," Papuashvili declared. 

He emphasised that despite all of Georgia's efforts and actions, the nation consistently receives nothing but verbal assurances from the alliance. Papuashvili further stressed that true security lies not in official pronouncements but in tangible protection. He concluded that "when it comes down to it, everyone understands that NATO's 'nuclear umbrella' is the most effective defence, not statements from NATO offices."

By Naila Huseynova