Belgium’s move to remove Georgia from safe country list a “big threat” – opposition MP

Salome Samadashvili, an opposition MP, on Monday said that Belgium’s move to remove Georgia from its safe country list was a “big threat” as other states could follow the decision, affecting the country’s EU aspirations. 

 

Accusing the Georgian government of being “pro-Russian”, the Lelo opposition party lawmaker claimed the Georgian Dream authorities aimed at “removing Georgia from the European orbit”. 

 

“This decision has been made by Belgium because the current government of Georgia cannot ensure the rule of law in our country, cannot ensure the protection of the rights granted to its own citizens, and therefore, Belgium made a decision to grant refugee status to Georgian citizens following an appropriate appeal through a simplified procedure”, she said. 

 

Belgium awarded Georgia the status of ‘Safe Country of Origin’ for the first time in 2016, which is the country’s major tool in the process of granting asylums to foreign nationals. 

 

Each year Belgium reviews its list of safe countrie