PM Kobakhidze accuses EU of attempting to influence Georgian elections through visa suspension threat

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused a segment of the European bureaucracy of attempting to interfere in Georgia’s democratic process by pushing the issue of suspending visa-free travel to the Schengen Area ahead of the upcoming elections.

“We have witnessed multiple instances of direct interference in our elections,” Kobakhidze said, adding that “raising the issue of visa suspension now is yet another attempt to influence our democratic elections.” He stressed that such actions negatively impact the image of European institutions, calling it "particularly regrettable."

The Prime Minister claimed there are repeated attempts before every election to damage the ruling Georgian Dream party’s electoral prospects. He recalled events from 2020, when the EU considered suspending a €70 million loan just two weeks before the parliamentary elections. “We preempted this by rejecting the loan ourselves, but the intention was clear — to harm our election chances,” he stated.

Kobakhidze also pointed to a previous election, alleging that an EU ambassador openly urged voters to mobilize against Georgian Dream, which he described as a direct act of interference in favor of the opposition.

“This is not just a blow to the image of the European bureaucracy,” he warned, “but also a discrediting of the European Union as a whole, which is truly unfortunate.”