Georgian Parliament Speaker: no legal basis exists for suspension of visa-free travel with EU

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said that there was no legal basis for suspending visa-free travel between Georgia and the European Union, as the agreement was enshrined in an international treaty binding both sides.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that while discussions may arise, any move to suspend visa liberalisation would be baseless and unlawful.

“There is no basis for suspension. However, if such arbitrary and groundless decisions are made, we cannot foresee them in advance. For example, we have already seen that a decision was made to suspend visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports, in violation of the 2010 international agreement between Georgia and the EU. To this day, no legal basis from that agreement has been named to justify this suspension”, the Speaker said.

He added that the rules-based international order was being increasingly undermined, as some countries prioritize power over law.

“Unfortunately, we see that the rules-based international order essentially no longer exists. We observe that those who have enough power attempt to act by the rule of force rather than the rule of law. Sadly, in this case, we see an attempt by some post-Soviet countries within the EU to act towards other countries and peoples using forceful methods rooted in their Soviet past”, Papuashvili concluded.