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Not entrance to NATO, but vector of European integration is important for Georgia: Georgia's former minister of economy

Politics Materials 27 October 2009 09:03 (UTC +04:00)
For Georgia, is now much more important the vector of European integration, but not Atlantic integration, said Georgia's former minister of economy, senior fellow at the Fund for Strategic and International Studies of Georgia, Professor Vladimir Papava.
Not entrance to NATO, but vector of European integration is important for Georgia: Georgia's former minister of economy

Azerbaijan, Baku, October 26 / Trend , E.Tariverdiyeva /

For Georgia, is now much more important the vector of European integration, but not Atlantic integration, said Georgia's former minister of economy, senior fellow at the Fund for Strategic and International Studies of Georgia, Professor Vladimir Papava.

"I am skeptical about the possibility of Georgia's entrance to NATO, as well as for the alliance it is important that its members do not have territorial disputes with its neighbors," Papava told Trend .  

NATO states' position on the issue of Ukraine and Georgia's entrance has not changed in recent months: NATO standards remain the same, but these states do not correspond with them.

Now Georgia experiences not only a dispute, but also occupied territory, and entrance to NATO is not possible for it, said Papava.

"The reason that the Americans did no support Georgia, I think that firstly to join NATO without Abkhazia and South Ossetia means refusal from these territories, the expert said. - If NATO assumes obligation to return the territory of Georgia, it would mean war between Russia and the alliance, to which NATO can not go."

According to Papava, at this stage, more urgent question is Georgia's accession to the European Union. The expert said that in this context, it is very important to use the Cyprus model of development, when Northern Cyprus is controlled by Turkish troops, Ankara recognized the independence of this territory, and in Cyprus were carried out significant economic reforms, reforms with regards to human rights protection, democratization of society, due to which Cyprus could become EU member.

"For me, joining the EU is firstly country's vector of development. It is very important so that tomorrow no-one doubts that this is Europe," said Papava.

Norway and Switzerland are not EU members, but no one doubts that this is Europe, the expert said.

According to him, Georgia must also be reformed in the direction of European values, state establishment, democratization, human rights protection. However, according to Papava, now Georgia is on the way of singapurization.

"Since the beginning of his presidency, President Saakashvili has repeatedly stressed that the model for Georgia is Singapore, that is, economic development under the authoritarian regime," - said Papava. According to the expert, this model is not a good vector for the development of the country. "I would not wish anyone to live in a country with an authoritarian regime," said Papava.

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