DISINFO: Joining NATO means deployment of Turkish military units on the territory of Georgia
SUMMARY
By joining NATO, Georgia will integrate into Turkey. This is as obvious as two and two make four; everyone knows this except Georgia. Georgia’s entry into NATO means the deployment of Turkish military units on the territory of Georgia, and this suits Turkey’s interests. This is Turkey’s strategy for the future. Joining NATO means joining Turkey.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation message about NATO and Georgia.
It is false to claim that NATO membership will result in the deployment of Turkish troops on the Georgian territories. Joining NATO does not cause the deployment of troops of NATO or any other member state on the country’s territory. NATO deployments are usually transparent and in line with its international commitments and obligations. Read more about the enlargement process here.
Similar disinformation, as if NATO membership in Georgia means the deployment of NATO, or specifically Turkish military forces in Georgia, has been disseminated by Kremlin-affiliated actors in the past as well. Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.
NATO military infrastructure often become a target of pro-Kremlin disinformation. For example, in response to claims about the opening of a NATO base in Georgia, the Alliance responded that NATO bases are located only in the areas where the Alliance conducts its military operations, meaning that Georgia does not have a military base but a liaison office that cannot be considered a military base.
Media Development Foundation's media monitoring results revealed that the message about “Turkish NATO”, which equates the membership of the Alliance with the deployment of Turkish troops in Georgia, has been part of anti-Western disinformation in the country for years. Moreover, the narrative, at the same time, presents Russia as the only deterrent of the “Turkish intervention.”