Georgian Dream dismisses EU visa-free suspension threat Brussels won’t “pull the trigger”

The European Union is unlikely to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian citizens, Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, has stated.

“They will not fire that bullet because they know it would be a shot into the void. The likelihood of such a decision is particularly low now, when Georgia is not in an election year. By the next elections, Brussels will further realise the weakness of the Georgian opposition and the need to build relations directly with the country’s authorities. Ultimately, the EU will have to engage in dialogue with the ruling party,” Machavariani said.

Visa-free travel between Georgia and the EU has been in effect since March 28, 2017. The possibility of restricting or suspending the regime has been raised repeatedly in recent years amid strained relations between Tbilisi and Brussels.

The Georgian Dream party has accused the EU of using the visa-free regime as a tool to exert political pressure on the Georgian government.

By Vafa Guliyeva