Georgian Parliament official: transparency, family values laws concerns “made-up issue”, not contradiction of European values

Gia Volski, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the First Vice Speaker of the Parliament, on Friday criticised the European Union’s reported ultimatum to suspend visa liberalisation for Georgia, calling it a form of blackmail.

Volski’s remarks come after Rikard Jozwiak, the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Europe bureau, reported that Brussels has asked Georgia to repeal both the transparency law and the law on protecting family values - warning that failure to do so could lead to the suspension of Georgia’s visa-free travel with the EU.

Volski argued that the threats from Brussels were not genuinely about the laws themselves, which he says do not violate European values. Instead, he claims the issues are fabricated and are being used as a form of political pressure.

“The threat is not connected to specific topics. It's a made-up issue that the transparency law supposedly contradicts European values, principles, and standards. This is complete nonsense. The topic of LGBT propaganda also doesn't mean that the law aims to oppress any minority group; on the contrary, there are laws that protect everyone. From this, we should infer that this is blackmail”, the official said.