Parliament official argues Georgians won’t understand how EU values can include lack of transparency, undermining family values

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Wednesday dismissed as “immoral” EU demands linking Georgia’s visa-free travel status to the repeal of the country’s recently adopted transparency and family values laws.

Kirtskhalia was responding to information shared by Rikard Jozwiak, the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Europe bureau, who wrote that Brussels’ position ties the preservation of visa liberalisation for Georgia to rolling back these laws. According to Jozwiak, such a decision would require the backing of a qualified majority of EU member states - 55 percent - which, he noted, “appears to have already been reached”.

“These laws, especially these particular ones, were passed based on the public’s demand. We have repeatedly told them, and we will repeat, that they cannot possibly explain to the Georgian people how European values can be aligned with promoting opacity and sowing LGBT propaganda, which runs counter to family values in the country. So once again, this is an entirely immoral demand, completely disconnected from the European values and principles on which Europe stands”, the official said.