Civil society organizations condemn the statement made by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, at GLOBSEC’s 2023 Bratislava Forum on May 30. The statement reiterates the position of the Kremlin and considers the desire of Ukraine to join NATO to be the reason for Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine.

We would like to remind the Prime Minister that the accession of Ukraine to NATO is a historical choice of the Ukrainian people, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. We also would like to remind the Prime Minister that the Helsinki Act defines the sovereign right of each country to join any treaty or alliance at its own discretion.

We regret that the speech of the Prime Minister of Georgia was in full compliance with the Kremlin’s narrative, according to which the expansion of NATO poses a threat to Russia. In addition, unfortunately, the Prime Minister of Georgia once again failed to use the opportunity to condemn in every possible manner the unjust and unprovoked attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine.

We also would like to remind the Prime Minister that he represents a state the people of which, with an absolute majority and on the basis of the plebiscite that took place on January 5, 2008, supported the accession of Georgia to NATO. This choice has been supported by Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia, according to which the constitutional bodies should take all measures within the scope of their powers to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and NATO.