German Foreign Minister criticizes NATO exercise in Georgia

May 10, 2009, 10:07 GMT

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticised a NATO exercise being carried out in Georgia, in a radio interview on Sunday.

'In the current phase of internal political heat in Georgia, one should surely have thought carefully about whether this is the right time to let the manoeuvre take place there,' Steinmeier said, in reference to confrontation between the Georgian state and opposition groups.

'It surely doesn't contribute to calming things down,' Steinmeier told Deutschlandfunk radio.

ON Saturday, more than 10,000 protesters gathered to demand that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili step down after talks between the administration and the opposition broke down Saturday.

Russia has described the NATO manoeuvre as a provocation,and expelled two NATO diplomats from Moscow on Wednesday. Russia, which sees NATO as a threat, invaded Georgia in the summer of 2008 over the status of the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.

Relations between Russia and the West were severely strained over the war.

However, The German foreign minister warned against overreacting, now that the operation was underway.

Steinmeier said it was important that, 'between Europe and Russia, and in particular between NATO and Russia, we return as soon as possible to a regular working relationship.'

Germany has been a member of NATO since 1955. Georgia was promised an invitation to join NATO at some point in the future, at a summit in Bucharest in 2008.

The military exercises in Georgia are due to start officially on May 11.