Parliament official rejects visa liberalisation pressure as unjust, stands firm on national laws

Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chair of the Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Saturday firmly defended Georgia’s stance on maintaining its laws on transparency and the protection of family values amid opposition claims and external pressures regarding visa liberalisation with the European Union.

In his remarks, Kadagishvili described the demands to repeal these laws as a form of “political pressure and blackmail”, expressing confidence that such tactics would ultimately fail.

“When a demand is based on injustice, of course, it will not have a lasting or sustainable outcome. I believe this has been used during this period for political pressure and blackmail, and likely, circumstances will change in a way that the purpose of this blackmail will ultimately be lost. Therefore, we stand firmly by our position and are confident that this position will bring success to Georgia in all directions in the end”, Kadagishvili said.

The opposition argues that the laws on transparency and family values are misaligned with European standards and has called for their repeal.

However, Kadagishvili and the ruling Georgian Dream party maintain that these laws are essential to Georgia’s sovereignty and security, rejecting external demands as unjust and unsustainable.