The EU Council decision to suspend the visa-free regime with Georgia for holders of diplomatic and service passports has been implemented in 11 countries. This information was disseminated by the EuroScope resource.
According to the source, entry for Georgian diplomats has been restricted by Romania (since March), Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Sweden (since August). It is noted that EuroScope does not have information about Germany and Poland, while Hungary and Austria remain open.
The country's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze confirmed that after the EU's decision to suspend the visa-free regime for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, members of the government and the ruling party have to apply for visas for trips to a number of EU countries.
"This restriction applies to diplomatic passports in accordance with the general decision of the European Union. However, we get visas without any problems – I myself traveled to one of the countries with a visa. There is no problem here. This is an absolutely shameful decision, but it is their decision and their right. We are ready to act in accordance with this decision,” Kobakhidze said.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, in turn, commented on the situation. According to him, “the recommendation or decision of the European Commission to suspend the visa-free regime for diplomatic and service passports was a violation of international law, and all countries that followed this decision violate international law.”
Recall that on January 27, 2025, the foreign ministers of the EU member states supported the decision to suspend the visa for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports. The press release noted that Georgian citizens holding ordinary passports “will continue to enjoy visa exemption for short-term trips to the EU.”
After the meeting of the heads of the EU foreign ministries, Hungarian Minister Peter Szijjarto spoke out against the initiative to suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomatic passports.
"We think that it is not in Brussels, but in Georgia that a decision should be made about the future of the country, and the Georgians have made a very clear decision whether Brussels likes it or not," the diplomat summed up.
Recall that the ruling party of Georgia considers Hungary its main friend in Europe. It is noteworthy that the Hungarian prime minister was the first to congratulate the Georgian Dream on its victory in the parliamentary elections, without even waiting for the official results. He also became the first foreign leader to visit Georgia after the elections, but the authorities of 13 European countries said that Orban does not represent the EU in this visit.
In Georgia, the decision of the EU Council to "freeze" the visa-free regime was called groundless back in January.
“If the European Union tells diplomats, holders of diplomatic passports, that they pose a threat to public order in the European Union, in EU member states, then this will be devoid of any basis and will not serve the purpose of making us see the EU’s readiness to improve relations with Georgia,” said Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.
