NATO and Georgia 13 years on: So close, yet so far. EPC Commentary May 2021.

Georgia has bent over backwards to prove to NATO that it is a steadfast partner and ready to join the Alliance. Yet Russia’s de facto third-party veto hinders NATO’s open-door policy and Georgia’s eventual membership. There should be no Russian doorman deciding who enters the NATO club. At the 2008 Bucharest NATO summit, Georgia and Ukraine were promised seats at the Alliance’s table. 13 years on, this has still not materialised, despite Georgia ticking all the boxes on NATO’s to-do list. In fact, Tbilisi is better prepared than some of the Alliance’s newest members – and yet a Membership Action Plan (MAP) remains elusive. While some Alliance members fear Russia’s reaction, this approach gives Moscow a de facto veto power over a sovereign country’s decision and undermines NATO’s credibility. At the forthcoming NATO summit, the Alliance must stand behind its values and ensure European security by demonstrating a genuine open-door policy. It should reaffirm Georgia’s eventual place in the club and move its membership process forward