Georgian Dream Sees EU Visa Threat as Pressure

Georgian authorities view discussions of suspending visa-free travel with the EU as a form of political pressure aimed at regime change and dragging Georgia into the Ukraine–Russia conflict, Orda.kz reports.

This comes from a July 17 statement read by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the governing party’s Political Council.

He stated:

The desire to open a second front in Georgia is so strong that the ‘party of global war’ has turned all European bureaucracy into an attack mode against Georgia, and sees the lifting of visa-free travel as their last remaining lever. Those who wish to involve our country in the war believe that cancelling visa-free travel — even on fabricated grounds — will provoke enough public anger to overthrow the government and install their proxies.

On July 15, the EU sent an official letter to Georgia’s Foreign Minister, warning that failure to comply with eight conditions (including repealing the "foreign agents" law and anti-“LGBT propaganda” legislation) could end the visa-free travel regime between the two nations.

Kobakhidze dismissed any link between these laws and visa access, describing the visa issue as “the last remaining lever” wielded by Europe.