Gigi Tsereteli: The suspension of visa-free travel may become a matter of decision in the near future within the European Union – the discussion has begun, and its outcome will depend on the situation in Georgia

Suspending visa-free travel with the European Union would make Georgia’s Euro-integration prospects completely unrealistic, said one of the leaders of European Georgia, Gigi Tsereteli.

According to him, discussions about the suspension of the visa-free regime have already started, and their outcome depends on the current situation in Georgia.

“It’s unfortunate that this may become a reality in the near future, as the environment for democracy and human rights continues to worsen — with repressions, politically motivated imprisonments, undemocratic laws, persecution of opponents, restrictions on civil society and the media, manipulated elections, a one-party parliament, a politicized judiciary, and declarations of our partners as enemies — and many more characteristics. The full responsibility for this lies with the ‘Dream’ government.

Even under these conditions — especially after the government officially announced the unilateral suspension of the EU integration process until 2028 — the European Union has not revoked visa-free travel, simply out of respect for the strong pro-Western choice of the majority of Georgian citizens. The sanctions have so far only affected high-ranking officials and holders of diplomatic and service passports.

However, in the near future, this could become a matter of active discussion and decision in the European Union. The debate has begun, and how it ends depends on the situation in Georgia. What we are seeing now, without fundamental changes to the current system, gives no cause for optimism. Russia's strategic goal — to separate Georgia from the West and make Euro-Atlantic integration unrealistic — is being fulfilled through the actions of the Dream government.

We often hear satisfied statements about this from Kremlin officials and propagandists.

Connecting this process with patriotism is a harmful demagoguery and a propagandistic attempt to distort reality. Patriotism cannot be anything that complicates life for the country and its citizens, that weakens security and the economy, and limits opportunities for education, employment, medical care, and development.

The cancellation of visa-free travel would mean further distancing from the civilized world, and that would be extremely dangerous for Georgia, for its independence and freedom. It would inevitably lead to closer ties with Russia and even greater influence from it.

In recent years, the European Union has suspended visa-free travel for countries like Vanuatu and The Gambia for various reasons — but not because of democratic backsliding or human rights violations. Georgia is the only partial case, where visa-free travel was revoked for diplomatic and service passport holders. This fact alone clearly shows how serious the situation is.

I hope the EU’s decision won’t take this privilege away from Georgian citizens (including those who support the government), and that ordinary people won’t be punished instead of the regime’s representatives. However, if the situation does not change, the visa-free regime and the prospect of EU membership will ultimately be lost. Turning this opportunity into reality can only be achieved by a truly pro-Western, democratically elected government together with the people — and this will definitely happen through peaceful struggle, the dedication of many individuals, and true patriotism,” — Tsereteli stated.

This information was released by European Georgia.