[RFE/RL] Georgia has paid a heavy price for its desire to join NATO. On June 16, the nation will bury the 30th soldier killed in Afghanistan. Corporal Ramaz Davitaia died on June 8 from wounds suffered in Helmand Province. The soldier's death has caused some in Georgia to question whether the country is sacrificing too much for a goal that may be unattainable.| I'm sure the Georgians are nice enough but how close to the North Atlantic are they? |
NATO has assured Georgia that the door is open, but the ultimate goal keeps slipping further down the road. In March, the country was shocked when French President Hollande said that "France's position for the moment is to refuse any new [NATO] membership."
In response, opposition leader Nino Burjanadze said, "Those in Georgia who claim we have a chance to become a NATO member state are liars."
Advocates of joining NATO are often reduced to arguing that the military reform it requires is itself worth pursuing. Vakhtang Kapanadze, chief of the joint staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, said, "People ask what are we doing there [in Afghanistan] when we have so many problems in Georgia? I would say that this mission is very important for us. First, because it is a great way of showing the world that we are participating in its collective security. Second, because it is the best way of confronting security challenges and risks far from home rather than in our own country. We understand this. And third, because it is an excellent school for our military."
He said the Defense Ministry's job is to "work, work, and work with our troops to bolster the defense capabilities of the country. Then we will be more attractive to NATO than some weak, collapsing state."