“Brussels does not rule out the possibility of suspending the visa-free regime with Georgia if the undemocratic trajectory of the actions of the Georgian authorities continues.”
Oku.Az Kommersant reports that this was stated by Pavel Kherchinsky, the EU ambassador in Tbilisi.
“The distance between Georgia and the European Union (EU) has been increasing in recent months,” the diplomat said.
According to him, if the situation worsens, Brussels is ready to use various instruments of influence. Kherchinsky warned that the temporary suspension of the visa-free regime is one of these tools.
The EU ambassador clarified that the EU is closely following the preparations for the parliamentary elections on 26 October and expects these elections to be fair and free. Otherwise, the EU will suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens immediately after the elections.
It should be noted that since spring 2017, Georgian citizens have enjoyed the right to visa-free travel to the Schengen countries. Since then, 250,000-300,000 Georgian citizens have traveled to Europe using the visa-free regime and found work there.
