AFP - German Chancellor Merkel shakes hands with Georgian President Saakashvili during a visit to Tblisi. Merkel has said that the ex-Soviet republic -- currently mired in conflict with Russia -- will join NATO.
Posted on 08/17/2008 8:18:58 AM PDT by Grzegorz 246
TBILISI (AFP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday in the Georgian capital that the ex-Soviet republic, currently mired in conflict with Russia, will join NATO.
"Georgia will become a member of NATO if it wants to -- and it does want to," she said before talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi.
It was one of the strongest statements yet of support for Georgia's NATO membership bid, which is fiercely opposed by Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Could this have been one of the few times where Russia got caught playing checkers, rather than chess?
I find it funny that Russia has fast tracked exactly what they didn’t want by this act of theirs.
I hope this means that Europe is ready to stand up to them. Given the two conservative leaders in Germany and France, this is good. A few years ago, this would have gotten a much different result.
Also need to admit the Ukraine. Putin will be invading the Ukraine next.
He obviously plans on taking back all the countries that became free of Russia after Ronald Reagan ended the cold war.
Finally, something useful out of Berlin.
Because the rest of the West has just been so awesome??
I get the feeling that this is like France and England guaranteeing to come to Poland’s aid back in the ‘30s.
What is the shape of NATO?
Could Germany, France, and others pull together a viable military force and insert it into Georgia in a matter of hours?
I believe Iraq is not a NATO operation and Afghanistan is a very small NATO operation.
Does NATO leadership believe they need UN permission to respond militarily?
Hey, Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down that Wall, and he did.
The rest is up to you guys, lol
Would saying nothing suit you better?
“Hey, Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down that Wall, and he did.”
“Gorbachev did”? Funny, I missed that.
I think he’s saying that it’s a noble thing to do, just like it was in the ‘30s.
Europe gets a backbone.
They tried doing it the old way, with Sarko’s deal. And Russia spat in Europe’s face.
Russia, ironically, may have just strengthened NATO, rather than hurting it.
“What is the shape of NATO?”
If NATO is as encouraging to allies as this forum, then I would say not very good.
Right. Gorbachev crumbled. He didn't make the wall crumble.
“Georgia will become a member of NATO if it wants to; and it does want to.”
- - -
It seems to me that current German Chancellor Angela Merkel
found it necessary to (or perhaps was chosen to)
be the one to make this statement at this time in order to counter the statements
that were made yesterday by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
when he (in defense of his russian employers) said that the current hostilities
came as a result of Georgia provoking Russia.
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