On January 14, 2025, in the TV show “New Paradigm” of the movement “Solidarity for Peace,” Lieutenant General Guram Nikolaishvili said that Ukraine was requesting Georgia’s involvement in the war based on an agreement made by three countries. The respondent referred to the agreement made between Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova.
Guram Nikolaishvili [10:05]: “One thing that was done, or rather started in 2022, when Western countries demanded from Georgia the implementation of the agreement on the Black Sea security, which was announced by the European Union and signed by Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, stating that we – Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia – would protect each other’s interests in the Black Sea basin, was that Ukraine was demanding that Georgia engage in military actions against Russia because this agreement was signed.”
Guram Nikolaishvili’s claim regarding Georgia’s involvement in the war and the content of the document is disinformation. Ukraine did not demand the involvement of Georgia in military actions against Russia. The agreement made by the three countries does not obligate them to assist in the war, and its primary aim is to pursue European Union integration and strengthen coordination.
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What does the agreement between Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova envisage?
In the interview, Guram Nikolaishvili mentions the agreement made by the three countries – Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Presumably, he is referring to the document establishing the Associated Trio, signed on May 17, 2021. The main goal of this memorandum of understanding was to further deepen the European integration of the three countries.
“The Associated Trio will cooperate on issues of common interest in European integration, including the implementation of association agreements and the further development of the Eastern Partnership. The three countries will work together to further align with the European Union, strengthen political dialogue, and enhance economic and sectoral integration,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
The Associated Trio aimed to facilitate and accelerate full integration into the European Union’s single market. At the same time, the three countries continued to develop dialogue between the European Commission and the Associated Trio in areas such as transport, energy, digital transformation, the green economy, strategic communications, and other sectors. Additionally, they stated that they would deepen cooperation with the EU in security and defense, as well as in further participation in relevant EU agencies and programs.
The memorandum of understanding does not include a clause that envisages engaging in military actions in favor of another country. No other document signed by these countries can be found in open sources. The Associated Trio document discusses security issues, primarily focusing on cybersecurity and hybrid threats, but it does not mention war or military actions. The Associated Trio emphasizes that they will act in a coordinated manner to strengthen the EU’s role in advancing the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The format provides for regular trilateral consultations, the appointment of relevant coordinators in foreign affairs ministries, and holding meetings on senior officials and, when appropriate, ministerial levels ahead of important events within the Eastern Partnership.
Myth Detector has previously prepared material on the disinformation claim regarding the memorandum of the Associated Trio. Read more:
- Disinformation that the agreement between Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine allegedly envisaged war against Russia.
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Did Ukraine demand Georgia’s involvement in the war?
Another claim made during the broadcast, suggesting that Ukraine requested Georgia’s involvement in the war after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, is manipulative. The involvement of the country in the war is often manipulatively linked to the dispatch of Georgian volunteers to Ukraine. On March 1, 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalled the ambassador from Georgia, citing the obstruction of volunteers traveling to Ukraine and the government’s “immoral position” on sanctions against Russia as reasons. Today, many Georgian citizens are fighting in Ukraine; one Georgian fighter stated that their reason for going to Ukraine was to prevent the opening of a second front in Georgia. It is notable that volunteers from many different countries are fighting in Ukraine, but this does not equate to those countries being involved in the war.
In 2023, Oleksiy Danilov, then Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, stated that if Georgia and Moldova began liberating their territories from Russia during the war in Ukraine, they could resolve the issue of regaining territories faster together. However, Danilov also stated that he could not involve or engage Georgia in the war. The claim about opening a second front has been refuted by Ukrainian leaders as well as representatives of the US and the EU in Georgia.
Myth Detector has previously fact-checked several claims regarding the involvement of the country in the war. Read more in the materials:
- Disinformation, as if Zelenskyy Said that Georgia Should Start a War
- Did Zelensky Say That if “United National Movement” was In Power They Would Start a War?
- MP Mdinaradze lied saying that the Georgian Dream has never blamed the West for the attempt to open a second front
- Disinformation, as if Evelyn Farkas Was Calling for Georgia’s involvement in the War
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Black Sea Security Agreement
Although Guram Nikolaishvili speaks about the agreement between Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova, he mentions the “Black Sea Security Agreement” in the talk. It is important to note that Black Sea countries do not have an agreement that would obligate a signatory country to assist another in war.
In 2002, Black Sea countries signed an agreement on the establishment of the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group (BLACKSEAFOR). The group included Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The parties agreed that their activities would align with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter. The document specifically stated that BLACKSEAFOR’s activities were not directed against any other state and did not aim to create a military alliance against any state or group of states. The group’s objectives included search and rescue operations, humanitarian assistance operations, demining operations, environmental protection operations, goodwill visits, and any other activities agreed upon by the parties. In reality, the agreement served only search-and-rescue, humanitarian assistance, demining, and environmental protection missions. After 2008 and then from 2014 onward, it lost its meaning and significance.
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