Russia Warns Against Georgia Joining NATO
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
US-dominated NATO wants the alliance transformed into a global military force it controls.
It wants US-led NATO forces deployed along the borders of Russia, China, Iran, and other sovereign independent states - part of its global regime change strategy, aiming to create and preserve US-controlled unipolar rule worldwide.
It’s a failed strategy continuing anyway, risking possible catastrophic nuclear war.
Russia warned against Georgia joining NATO. The same goes for Ukraine. Both countries share long borders with the Russian Federation.
The Kremlin won’t tolerate deploying NATO forces along its border. On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said granting Georgia NATO membership could trigger “a terrible conflict” with potentially catastrophic consequences.
A decade ago in Bucharest, Romania, NATO members agreed to admit Georgia and Ukraine to the alliance.
Last month, US-installed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said “Georgia “has all the practical tools to become a member of NATO.” It “will be” admitted to the alliance - without indicating a timetable to grant membership.
In July, Putin warned against admitting Georgia and Ukraine to NATO, saying “(w)e will respond appropriately to such aggressive steps, which pose a direct threat to Russia,” adding:
“Our colleagues (sic), who are trying to aggravate the situation, seeking to include, among others, Ukraine and Georgia in the orbit of the alliance, should think about the possible consequences of such an irresponsible policy.”
“(I)t’s a direct and immediate threat for our national security…and the reaction would be extremely negative.”
“It is a concern for us since the NATO is expanding its infrastructure and facilities. (Its) number of servicemen is on the rise in the regions where they shouldn’t be” - breaching treaty agreements between Russia and NATO…(an unacceptable) destabilizing factor…”
Following Soviet Russia’s dissolution, US-dominated NATO expanded east toward Russia’s border after promising not to. “Nobody gave a damn about our posture,” Putin stressed.
Reportedly he and Trump discussed the issue of admitting Georgia and Ukraine to NATO in Helsinki. NATO members discussed it at their summit in Brussels last month.
Under alliance rules, countries with territorial conflicts cannot join NATO. US-installed Kiev putschists have been at war with their own people in Donbass since early April 2014, weeks after usurping power by US-orchestrated coup d’etat.
Georgia and most other countries don’t recognize breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign independent states. Russia extended recognition in 2008. An uneasy peace could again explode into conflict if the Trump regime instigates it.
Last week, 13 NATO members and partners began military exercises in Georgia. Provocative Noble Partner drills began on August 1 - aimed at exerting pressure on Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, adding:
“We cannot agree with the statements of the Georgian Defense Ministry that these drills are aimed at providing security in the Black Sea region. Stability and security mean constructive dialogue, not helicopters and tanks…bolstering military sentiments and the escalation of tensions.”
Provocative US-dominated NATO forces deployed near Russia’s border heightens tensions, risking Cold War 2.0 turning hot.
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