Georgia will host the 2022 NATO-Georgia Exercise this upcoming March, which will involve member-states of the alliance and other partner countries, to improve defense readiness and interoperability. The joint military drill between Georgia and its NATO partners sends a strong message of unity and solidarity.
The drill will involve military personnel from over 20 countries to “develop the skills needed to plan NATO operations through computer simulations,” according to the Georgian Defence ministry. Brigadier General Jozsef Szpisjak, the JFTC Deputy Commander/Chief of Staalso held a working meeting with Deputy Commanders of the Georgian Defense Forces, Major General Zaza Chkhaidze and Brigadier General Irakli Chichinadze, where they discussed the upcoming exercise and further enhancing the NATO-Georgia partnership.
With Russia demanding that NATO abandon its 2008 promise of NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine amidst a buildup of over 100,000 Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, holding military drills in Georgia sends a strong message of western resolve and highlights the strength of its commitments to partners in the face of adversity.
What’s more, with Russian occupation forces holding military drills in the occupied territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region in parallel to the situation in Ukraine, the drills offer a timely and resolute response by Georgia’s western partners that shows that the Alliance will not bow to Russian neo-imperialistic ambitions.
The concrete actions being taken are supported by the words of support from the Alliance on Georgia and Ukraine’s future in the alliance and their territorial integrity. Javier Colomina, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, said that “it’s 100% clear from NATO that we won’t compromise on our open-door policy.” Furthermore, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pushed for Russia to withdraw its forces from the territories it occupies, saying that the forces are “deployed without these countries’ consent.”
As Russia continues to defy the international rule-based order and undermine the European security environment, the necessity of a strong stance in upholding the shared values of the Euro-Atlantic community from NATO and western partners is clearer than ever before. Through the continuation of efforts like the NATO-Georgia Exercise, a clear message is being sent to Russia—NATO continues to stand by its partners in support of their sovereign aspirations.