FM: Polish remarks on visa-free travel to EU “unfortunate, insulting” to Georgian people

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Thursday said Georgia had fulfilled all requirements for its citizens to enjoy visa-free travel to the European Union, while also expressing disappointment regarding recent remarks from Poland concerning the issue.

The Minister’s comments come after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed a desire to reach an agreement at the European Union level to restrict or suspend the visa-free travel for Georgian citizens.

“It is very unfortunate - and in some ways insulting to the Georgian people - to hear the kind of statements we’ve heard from Poland. It is both incorrect and unfair to link such issues to visa-free travel”, the FM said.

She noted that the actions from Poland appear to be coordinated, referencing recent visits by opposition figures to Brussels and their attempts to use the visa liberalisation issue as a political weapon against the Georgian public.

“This looks more like a coordinated effort from Poland. The opposition’s visits to Brussels and their attempts to use visa-free travel as a tool against Georgian citizens have been ongoing for some time. While such efforts have failed before, we are aware that the opposition no longer has domestic political resources and is now trying to leverage this issue abroad”, Botchorishvili concluded.