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Germans Object to Georgia Entering NATO
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Germany oppose the prospect of Georgia becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap released by ARD. 58 per cent of respondents are against Georgia’s NATO membership, while 26 per cent are in favour.
NATO was originally formed in 1949 as an agreement of collaboration designed to prevent a possible attack from the Soviet Union on North America or Western Europe during the Cold War. In March 2004, NATO added seven more nations, six of which were once members of the Warsaw Pact—a military alliance of Eastern European Soviet countries.
According to international regulations, South Ossetia and Abkhazia belong to Georgia—a former Soviet republic. In the early 1990s, both pro-Russian regions became de facto independent but failed to be fully recognized as sovereign nations. Separatist forces operate in both regions. Georgia is currently led by pro-Western politicians and is in talks to enter NATO.
On Aug. 7, the Georgian government sent troops into South Ossetia in a surprise attack to assert sovereignty over the region. The following day, Russian tanks entered South Ossetia and confronted the Georgian army. The Russian government claimed that it was acting in defence of Russian citizens living in the region. In recent years, Russia has handed Russian passports to the vast majority of South Ossetia residents. Russian troops occupied South Ossetia and other parts of Georgia, and some disturbances were reported in Abkhazia as well.
On Aug. 12, French president Nicolas Sarkozy—whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU)—brokered a cease fire which included a commitment by Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgian territory.
Russia has now pulled out most of its troops from central and Western Georgia. Russian soldiers are still present in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On Aug. 17, German chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Georgia’s potential accession to NATO, saying, "I think that a clear political statement is once again very important in this situation: Georgia is a free and independent country, and every free and independent country can decide together with the members of NATO when and how it joins NATO. In December, there will be an initial assessment of the situation, and we are clearly on track for a [Georgia] NATO membership."
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose Georgia’s accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
|
Support |
26% |
|
Oppose |
58% |
|
Not sure |
16% |
Source: Infratest-Dimap / ARD
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 German adults, conducted on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.