ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to offer a critical overview of main developments of Georgian foreign policy since independence. It also focuses on Tbilisi's Euro-Atlantic trajectory over the past 25 years. The chapter argues that Georgia's overtly pro-Western foreign policy has not always been based on pragmatic expediency. Foreign policy, rather than being merely a means of securing aid and security, became a way for Georgia to secure its European identity. The concept underlined the aspiration of the people of Georgia to achieve full-fledged integration into North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union, and to contribute to the security of the Black Sea region as a constituent part of the Euro-Atlantic security system. Russia pushes Georgia to make a false choice between territorial integrity, which is closely linked with Georgia joining the Eurasian Union and returning to Russia's sphere of influence, and continuing with NATO integration.
