No legal grounds for suspension of Georgia’s visa-free travel with EU, says Georgian Foreign Minister

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Wednesday said there were no legal grounds for suspending Georgia’s visa-free travel with the European Union.

In her interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Botchorishvili noted that the Georgian Government had always acted “in good faith” to ensure that “our citizens enjoy the benefits of visa-free travel”.

“It is entirely the merit of this Government that Georgian citizens today have visa-free access to the Schengen area. There are absolutely no grounds for suspending visa liberalisation”, the Minister said.

She stressed that while attempts had been made to link the issue to unrelated debates within the EU, any such decision would require a legal basis and political support among member states.

“We have seen some efforts to introduce simplified procedures that would allow easier suspension of visa-free travel. It's as if there are no other pressing issues in the EU today, so they try to link everything with Georgia. However, this obviously requires specific procedures, support, and that support must come from EU member states. There must also be valid reasons for the EU to make such a decision”, Botchorishvili continued.

She also addressed recent criticism of the Government, noting that additional information requested by the EU had already been submitted, based on actions taken by Georgian institutions.

“Often we hear accusations that the government is doing nothing to protect visa-free travel. Those making such claims should be asked specifically what they think the government has failed to do. The two laws currently cited as problematic - the Transparency Law and the Law on Family Values - have nothing to do with visa-free travel. These were legitimate decisions taken by a democratically elected parliament to ensure the country’s security and stability”, the Minister noted.

Responding to questions on why these laws have been associated with Georgia’s obligations under the visa liberalization framework, Botchhorishvili recalled the controversy around the Transparency Law. According to her, the legislation was aimed at making the funding of political actors and NGOs transparent to the public.

“Any sovereign country would regard foreign financing and interference in domestic affairs as a threat. Georgia should not be an exception”, she concluded.