Georgians unlikely to lose visa-free travel to EU, ruling party MP

Ruling party MP Zviad Shalamberidze has said he does not believe Georgian citizens will lose visa-free access to the European Union, arguing that the issue has become increasingly politicised.

Speaking about relations between Georgia and the EU on Thursday, Shalamberidze claimed that Brussels had lost most of its leverage over Tbilisi and that visa liberalisation remained the only significant instrument available.

"Effectively, we have taken away all the levers that allowed the EU bureaucracy to speak to us in the language of pressure. Visa liberalisation is the only tool they have left. As a result, political considerations have been introduced into the visa liberalisation process," he said.

Shalamberidze argued that ordinary citizens should not be penalised over disagreements involving the government, noting that restrictions have already been imposed on holders of diplomatic passports.

"If responsibility lies with the government, then government representatives have already faced restrictions on diplomatic passports. If the government is responsible, why should the public be punished?" he said.

The ruling party member also stated that Georgian officials continue to travel to EU countries on work-related visits without significant disruption by obtaining visas when required.

Shalamberidze said he expects visa-free travel for Georgian citizens to remain in place and expressed hope that future relations between Georgia and the EU would be based on what he described as a more pragmatic approach.