TBILISI, December 17. /TASS/. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has called the European Union's decision to suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomatic and service passports "anti-Georgian."
"The only recommendation issued by the Council pertains to initiating procedures for imposing a visa regime on holders of diplomatic passports. Although this recommendation is largely symbolic, it must be assessed as an unequivocally anti-Georgian step that undermines the trust of Georgian society in European structures," Kobakhidze said at a briefing.
Kobakhidze thanked five countries that spoke out against the introduction of sanctions against Georgia. "These are Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, and Romania; they supported the interests of the Georgian people," the prime minister noted.
As Kobakhidze emphasized, the suspension of the visa-free regime for diplomatic passport holders is a symbolic act with no practical meaning. According to the prime minister, diplomats also have ordinary Georgian passports, which allow them to freely travel to EU countries.
The previous day, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the European Union had decided to suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomatic and service passports. According to her, the European Commission will make a corresponding proposal to the EU member states next week, which will then have to approve it. At the same time, Kallas said that EU countries failed to agree on the introduction of personal sanctions against Georgian officials, who, in the bloc’s opinion, are responsible for repression and violations of human rights in the country. Hungary, Slovakia, Luxembourg, and several other countries opposed such measures.
A new wave of protests began in Georgia on November 28. Demonstrations are held daily in front of the parliament building. The first week of protests was the most intense. Some of the demonstrators were launching pyrotechnics toward riot police, who, in turn, were using water cannons and tear gas. In recent days, the protests have become peaceful. The reason for the protests was Kobakhidze's statement on November 28 that the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party had decided to delay any talk about launching accession negotiations until late 2028 and reject any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to pressure Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament, and calls for sanctions against Georgian authorities.