Ruling party official says EU unlikely to suspend Georgia’s visa-free travel

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, on Thursday said the suspension of visa-free travel between Georgia and European Union countries was unlikely.

Speaking to Imedi TV, Machavariani argued that by the time the next elections approach, EU officials would become increasingly convinced that the Georgian opposition had been marginalised.

“My assumption is that this is unlikely. They will not fire this bullet because they know it would be a bullet fired in vain”, he said.

“I do not think they will use this bullet, especially since this is not an election year. If it were an election year, or if next year were an election year, we might reason differently”, Machavariani added.

He also highlighted the growing strategic importance of the Middle Corridor, noting that Brussels itself was moving swiftly to advance initiatives related to the route.

“The importance of the Middle Corridor has increased fivefold, and Brussels itself is in a hurry to take certain steps. They are already becoming convinced that the opposition has been marginalised, despite the fact that they themselves campaigned for it”, Machavariani said.

He further claimed that EU officials had been promoting narratives aligned with what he described as the “radical opposition” and argued that the bloc would eventually have to engage with the Georgian Dream Government.

“Accordingly, they will have to make the decision to sit down and talk with Georgian Dream. We are ready for this. And in order to help Brussels save face, despite all this injustice, we have stated at every level that we can turn the page on these injustices and begin relations anew. This is politics, and there is no place for emotions here”, he noted.

Machavariani also said French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to attend an international space summit in Paris could be interpreted as a signal that the EU was seeking to improve relations with Georgia.