DISINFO: The West is interested in Georgia just as a training ground for the war with Russia
SUMMARY
The West has never thought about our (Georgian) people and will not think. They just need Georgia as a suitable territory because of its geographical location. Georgia is the best training ground for the war with Russia. On the one hand – access to the Black Sea, on the other – the land border directly with Russia. There is hardly a better place to house NATO missiles. Yes, the very organisation that does not want to open the door for us, but at the same time, they will continue to suggest: do not stop knocking on it. And so we have long and unsuccessfully been knocking on this closed door, both literally and figuratively.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO allegedly pursuing a belligerent and hostile agenda against Russia particularly in the Caucasus as well as about Georgia's cooperation with NATO.
The narrative is part of a larger campaign aiming to influence public support against Georgia's NATO aspirations and portraying neutrality as the most rational foreign policy choice for Georgia. Georgia's movement to join NATO was intensified after the de-facto occupation of a part of its territory.
Disinformation outlets have also made the claims that the West is forcing Georgia to accept the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in order "to drag Georgia to NATO", that "Georgia is to give up its territorial integrity in order to join NATO" or that there is an obligation to hold gay prides and other "preconditions" for Georgia to join NATO. On the other hand, other claims have included that "NATO troops' participation in Georgian military pushes Putin to set up military bases on occupied parts of Georgia, or NATO is not interested in strengthening Georgia, and also "Russia will never allow Ukraine or Georgia to join NATO".
Read more about NATO-Georgian cooperation.