Tengiz Pkhaladze: We are even more vulnerable than we were before – Russia has practically threatened Georgia, and in the future, it will be stated even more harshly
The problem is not that Lavrov says, "Georgia's seat is free in the 3+3 format." The problem is that when a meeting on EU enlargement is held at the invitation of the presiding country, Georgia’s seat is empty. This was stated by Tengiz Pkhaladze, associate professor at GIPA, senior research fellow at the Brussels-based European Center for International Political Economy, and expert, during the "360 Degrees" program on PalitraNews. He was responding to Sergey Lavrov’s statement that there will always be a seat for Georgian representatives in the "3+3 format" meeting room and that the door remains open.
According to Tengiz Pkhaladze, Russia has threatened Georgia, and in the future, the threats will be expressed even more harshly.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry released several statements today mentioning Georgia. Among them was the claim that NATO should retract its 2008 promise, which includes the prospect of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO.
We are even more vulnerable than we were before. We have managed to damage relations with the U.S., our strategic partnership has been suspended, and we have also worsened relations with the European Union.
A very important meeting was held under Poland’s presidency, where Georgia’s seat was again left empty. This meeting was about EU enlargement. The problem is not that Lavrov says, 'Georgia's seat is free in the "3+3 format", and we are waiting for it.' The real problem is that when a meeting on EU enlargement is held at the invitation of the presiding country, Georgia’s seat is empty. That is the biggest problem.
If we imagine the worst-case scenario in this turbulence—if Ukraine is indeed fragmented and Putin gets what he wants—today's statements make it clear what the next steps will be. Russia has practically threatened Georgia. The Russians have never hidden their threats, and today it was stated once again. In the future, it will be expressed even more harshly," Tengiz Pkhaladze said.
For reference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that there will always be a seat for Georgian representatives in the "3+3 format" meeting room.
