Tbilisi comments on EU's abolition of visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats
Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili responded to the EU's "freezing" of the visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports. In her opinion, such a decision is unfounded.
"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 showing us the EU's readiness to improve relations with Georgia," Bochorishvili said.
EU Ambassador to Tbilisi Pavel Gerchinsky, in turn, said that the partial suspension of the visa-free travel with Georgia was a response to the anti-democratic actions of the country's government. He expressed support for the participants of pro-European protests in Georgia and condemned the use of violence against them by the authorities.
"As we have already said, our goal is not to punish the Georgian people who are on the streets and demanding a democratic European Georgia. Our goal was to punish those responsible for repression, intimidation and ongoing violence," Gerchinsky emphasized.
Recall that the foreign ministers of the EU member states supported the decision to suspend visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports. The innovation will come into force in the coming days. The press release notes that Georgian citizens holding ordinary passports "will continue to enjoy visa exemption for short-term trips to the EU."
