NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the alliance is «very worried» about «what’s happening in Georgia», though he stopped short of suggesting that NATO membership for the country was no longer an option.
Speaking to RFE/RL on Monday, Rutte said he was «not naive» about Georgia’s political direction. His remarks came in response to questions about Tbilisi’s deepening ties with China, a relationship that has expanded in recent years through business and infrastructure cooperation, and limited security purchases such as Chinese-made surveillance equipment.
Rutte said NATO had made its concerns «clear» to Georgian officials but stressed that cooperation with the country would continue.
«I think that cooperation itself serves a purpose now also to make sure that we have this channel to make clear what our worries are,» he said.
He did not specify whether NATO’s concerns were directly related to Georgia’s engagement with China.
The Secretary General also noted broader regional dynamics, pointing to improved relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan following a Washington meeting in August 2025 facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump, which led to the initialling, though not the signing, of a peace treaty.
NATO membership has been a long-standing strategic goal for Georgia. At the 2008 Bucharest Summit, NATO leaders pledged that both Georgia and Ukraine would eventually join the alliance. Despite limited progress since then, Georgia’s commitment to NATO accession remains embedded in its constitution, and public opinion polls consistently show majority support, though many Georgians also express openness to military neutrality.
