EU discussing visa-free regime suspension with Georgia

The European Union may suspend the process of visa “liberalization” with Georgia, EU Ambassador in Tbilisi Pavel Gerchinsky said.

The diplomat made it clear that the EU is ready to take such a step, depending on how the autumn parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 26 will be held in the country. He said the EU hopes they will be free and fair.

“The development of various processes in Georgia has increased the distance between Georgia and the EU. We are following the process and hope that the elections will be fair and transparent. However, if the situation worsens, the EU has various tools that we will definitely use, and one of them is the suspension of visa liberalization,” Gerchinsky told the press.

Georgia’s visa-free regime with EU countries has been in effect since 2017.