Shalva Papuashvili on the statements of the Polish and French embassies: it is very alarming if, after unsuccessful attacks on Georgian politics, we are now to witness attacks on the Georgian economy

“It is very alarming if, after unsuccessful attacks on Georgian politics, we are now to witness attacks on the Georgian economy,” – this is what Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili writes on social media, responding to the statements of the Polish and French embassies.

As Papuashvili notes, Poland and France, just like the European Union as a whole, deny entry to far more Georgians than vice versa.

“Yesterday, the embassies of Poland and France, members of the Weimar Triangle, issued a warning to their citizens to think a hundred times before coming to Georgia, allegedly due to the high number of refusals at the Georgian border.

It is very alarming if, after unsuccessful attacks on Georgian politics, we are now to witness attacks on the Georgian economy. Tourism is an important sector for the well-being of our people, and an unfounded attack on it is an attack on the well-being of the Georgian people and on our national interest.

The reality, of course, is entirely different from the perception these statements are trying to create. Fortunately, crossing the border is not a matter of perceptions, but a matter of statistics and facts.

Statistics reveal the gap between these statements and reality and show a completely different picture: Poland and France, as well as the EU as a whole, deny entry to far more Georgians than Georgia does to their citizens:

In 2024-2025, Georgia denied entry to only 9 Polish citizens, while Poland denied entry to 1,250 Georgians – in other words, Poland denied entry 140 times more often.

In 2024-2025, Georgia denied entry to only 16 French citizens, while France denied entry to 145 Georgians – 9 times more refusals by France.

In 2024-2025, Georgia denied entry to only 184 EU citizens in total, while EU countries denied entry to 4,825 Georgians – 26 times more refusals by the EU.

Not to mention that in 2024-2025, Poland deported 249 Georgians, France 280, and the EU as a whole deported 2,463 Georgians.

So, Georgia still has a long way to go to reach the level of border rejections that the EU’s usual practice involves.

It is important that embassies respect the Vienna Convention and refrain from spreading information that creates false perceptions about the host country.

Here is the detailed data:

Polish citizens entering Georgia:

In 2024, 66,504 Polish citizens crossed Georgia’s border.

In 2024, 7 Polish citizens were denied entry.

In 2025, 10,165 Polish citizens crossed Georgia’s border.

In 2025, 2 Polish citizens were denied entry.

In total, 76,669 Polish citizens crossed Georgia’s border in 2024-2025.

In total, 9 Polish citizens were denied entry in 2024-2025.

Georgians entering Poland:

In 2024, 65,835 Georgians crossed Poland’s border. 975 Georgians were denied entry.

In 2025, 15,964 Georgians crossed Poland’s border. 275 Georgians were denied entry.

In total, 81,799 Georgians crossed Poland’s border in 2024-2025. 1,250 Georgians were denied entry.

Additionally, in 2024-2025, Poland deported 249 Georgians.

French citizens entering Georgia:

In 2024, 28,302 French citizens crossed Georgia’s border. 7 were denied entry.

In 2025, 5,008 French citizens crossed Georgia’s border. 9 were denied entry.

In total, 33,310 French citizens crossed Georgia’s border in 2024-2025.

In total, 16 French citizens were denied entry in 2024-2025.

Georgians entering France:

In 2024, 53,276 Georgians crossed France’s border. 130 were denied entry.

In 2025, 12,397 Georgians crossed France’s border. 15 were denied entry.

In total, 65,673 Georgians crossed France’s border in 2024-2025. 145 Georgians were denied entry.

Additionally, in 2024-2025, France deported 280 Georgians.

EU citizens entering Georgia:

In 2024, 406,042 EU citizens crossed Georgia’s border. 108 were denied entry.

In 2025, 67,380 EU citizens crossed Georgia’s border. 76 were denied entry.

In total, 473,422 EU citizens crossed Georgia’s border in 2024-2025. 184 were denied entry.

Georgians entering the EU:

In 2024, 438,170 Georgians crossed the EU border. 4,825 were denied entry.

Additionally, in 2024-2025, 2,463 Georgians were deported from EU countries,” – writes Papuashvili.