President Salome Zurabishvili has criticized recent statements by officials of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, claiming that they are manipulating the issue of visa-free travel to the European Union (EU). She described their remarks as part of a campaign designed to demoralize Georgian society and create a false dilemma between visa-free travel and the country’s sovereignty.
Zurabishvili pointed out that Georgian Dream officials are preemptively framing the potential suspension of the visa-free regime as a form of “blackmail” from Brussels. According to this narrative, Georgians are being forced to choose between the visa-free travel and the nation’s sovereignty. The President labeled this storyline as a continuation of previous developments, particularly referencing Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on November 28, 2024, that Georgia would halt its EU integration efforts until 2028.
“The goal behind this rhetoric is to isolate Georgia from Europe by spreading fear about the visa-free regime,” Zurabishvili said during a briefing on April 23. She emphasized that the source of this campaign is not Europe but the Georgian government itself, which she believes is trying to halt visa liberalization. She urged Georgians not to fall for this propaganda and to critically examine who is truly pushing the country away from Europe.
The President accused the ruling party of adopting a Russian-style approach to policymaking, preparing the public for international isolation. She also suggested that this campaign was a way for Georgian Dream to shift the blame onto Europe, claiming that Brussels was punishing Georgia. Zurabishvili placed the responsibility for this strategy on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chair of Georgian Dream, and the party’s leadership, which she described as a “clan” that governs the country in line with Russian interests.
Her comments come in the wake of claims from GD officials that the EU is using the visa-free regime as a form of “blackmail” against Georgia. On April 18, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili argued that parts of the EU bureaucracy were using visa-free travel as a tool for political pressure. This sentiment was echoed by GD Deputy Speaker Nino Tsilosani and MP Sozar Subari, who both suggested that Georgia’s sovereignty is more important than visa-free travel.
On April 23, GD MPs Guram Macharashvili and Archil Gorduladze also weighed in on the issue. Macharashvili lamented that the EU was using Georgia’s candidate status and visa liberalization as bargaining chips, while Gorduladze reminded the public that the visa-free regime was achieved under Georgian Dream rule. He emphasized that “free movement cannot be used to blackmail the Georgian people.”
Since 2017, Georgians have enjoyed visa-free travel to the European Union, which is considered one of the country’s major achievements on its path toward European integration. However, the EU has raised concerns over democratic backsliding under the Georgian Dream government, warning that the suspension of visa-free travel remains a possibility. In September 2024, prior to the violent suppression of protests and the government’s reversal on EU integration, the European Commission stated that “all options are on the table,” including the temporary suspension of the visa liberalization scheme, should Georgia continue on an authoritarian path.
The EU is also planning to update its visa suspension mechanism later this year, making the possibility of suspension more likely. The proposed changes, introduced by the European Commission in 2023, would make it easier for the EU to revoke visa-free travel for citizens of any of the 61 countries benefiting from the regime, including Georgia. These changes are expected to be implemented in the fall of 2025.
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