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Nato to support Georgia, review ties with Russia
Nato ministers will pledge support for Georgia and reiterate a promise of future membership today while criticising Russian intervention in the country and urging Moscow to respect a peace deal, a spokeswoman said.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:21 August 18, 2008
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Brussels: Nato ministers will pledge support for Georgia and reiterate a promise of future membership today while criticising Russian intervention in the country and urging Moscow to respect a peace deal, a spokeswoman said.
Washington called an emergency meeting of the 26 Nato foreign ministers to review ties with Moscow and discuss help to Georgia, a former part of the Soviet Union which won its pledge of eventual alliance membership at an April summit in Bucharest.
Months of tension between Georgia and Russia erupted on August 7, when Tbilisi launched an assault to regain control of the Russian-backed breakaway South Ossetia region. Russia launched a massive counter-offensive including into the Georgian heartland.
No decision yet
US envoy to Nato Kurt Volker said on Saturday no specific response had yet been decided, but regular meetings of foreign and defence ministers, and of Nato ambassadors with their Russian counterpart would be part of the review.
Also under scrutiny would be dialogue in counter-terrorism, counter narcotics and missile defence, he said.
A Nato spokeswoman played down reports of divisions among Nato allies on the response to Russia, saying ministers would deliver "a very clear message of solidarity to Georgia".
"We will reaffirm the commitment in Bucharest and the meeting is also expected to approve a package of measures to support Georgia," Carmen Romero said.
Nato states were expected to agree to send experts to assess damage to Georgia's military infrastructure, including radar installations damaged by Russian action, she said.
Romero said there was expected to be a "strong message" to Russia calling for implementation of a ceasefire, its commitment to withdraw troops and an international peace mechanism. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned that Moscow's actions had set back its efforts to integrate into the global community and vowed the US would rebuild Georgia.
Medvedev's warning
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose forces have rolled into Georgia in support of pro-Moscow separatists, warned yesterday that any further aggression against Russian citizens would face a "crushing response".
"If anyone thinks that they can kill our citizens and escape unpunished, we will never allow this. If anyone tries this again, we will come out with a crushing response," Medvedev told World War II veterans in the Russian city of Kursk.
"We have all the necessary resources, political, economic and military. If anyone had any illusions about this, they have to abandon them," Medvedev said.
Medvedev, facing his first international crisis since taking over the Kremlin's top job in May, said Russia did not want to spoil relations with anyone. But he demanded respect.
"We do not want a deterioration of international relations, we want to be respected. We want our people, our values to be respected," he said. "We have not attacked anyone, we only secured the rights and dignity of people as peacekeepers."
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