Georgia's Speaker slams EU's statement on visa suspension, accuses Brussels of political interference

Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, has strongly criticized the European Union’s recent social media post regarding the Visa Suspension Mechanism, accusing Brussels of political bias and interference ahead of Georgia’s local elections.

In a Facebook post, Papuashvili argued that the EU Delegation’s infographic outlining the current state of Georgia’s visa-free travel status with the EU revealed the “true intention” behind what he described as an “irregularly submitted letter” from Brussels. He claimed that the timing and format of the EU’s communication—setting an August deadline ahead of the regular December visa evaluation—was politically motivated.

Papuashvili further accused the EU Embassy of attempting to influence the election campaign in violation of both the Vienna Convention and Georgian legislation. According to him, this year, just like in 2023, the EU appears determined to intervene in Georgia’s domestic political processes using visa issues as leverage.

"The EU Embassy’s post makes it clear what lies behind Brussels’ unprecedented letter, which came with an informal August deadline, despite the official Commission report being due in December,” Papuashvili wrote.

He also took aim at the content of the EU's infographic, noting the absence of references to the so-called "foreign agents" law and the “family values” bill. “Interestingly, the banners do not mention Brussels’ demand to repeal the laws on ‘family values’ and ‘transparency of foreign influence’,” he stated, arguing that this omission demonstrated selective messaging.

“This level of interference and the desire to alter the will of the Georgian people at any cost is a deviation from European values. Every such statement only further confirms that we are right,” he added.