Foreign Ministry on incident related to EU delegation member: There was a technical misunderstanding, we had communication with the EU side, and the issue has been resolved.

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to the fact that Simon Vanderbroek, a member of the European Union delegation, was denied entry into the country.

“There was a technical misunderstanding, we communicated with the EU side on this matter, they were provided explanations and the issue has been resolved,” the Foreign Ministry said

The EU mission had previously confirmed that Simon Vanderbroek, a member of the EU Delegation who has been working in Georgia since September 2024, had been denied entry into the country.

The EU Delegation to Georgia issued a statement. According to them, the Georgian authorities “have presented oral apologies for the regrettable incident and confirmed that the staff member is welcome to come back to his place of posting.”

„The EU Delegation to Georgia confirms that a member of the EU Delegation was not allowed entry upon arrival at the Tbilisi airport on 21 May. The denial of entry to a duly accredited member of the EU Delegation contravenes the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other applicable norms, which Georgia is bound to respect. A Note Verbale has been addressed to the Georgian MFA on this matter. The Georgian authorities have presented oral apologies for the regrettable incident and confirmed that the staff member is welcome to come back to his place of posting“, reads the statement.

For information, on 22 May, media reported that a member of the EU Delegation, Simon Vanderbroek, was turned away from the Georgian border. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “there was a technical misunderstanding.”