The European Commission had proposed to suspend the visa-free travel regime for Georgian diplomats and officials in response to the violent crackdown on protesters, who took to the streets for weeks to denounce the ruling party's gradual pivot away from Europe and towards Russia.
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00:00Georgia reacted angrily to the suspension of a mutual visa-free travel agreement by
00:06the European Union. This may lead to Georgian diplomats and officials having to apply for
00:12visas when traveling to an EU member state.
00:16Speaking to Euronews after the suspension's announcement, Georgian Foreign Minister Mako
00:21Bocharushvili called the decision politically wrong.
00:24Legally, it is absolutely groundless and nonsense. There is no proof or explanation
00:29how Georgian diplomats are creating threats or threatening public order in European Union
00:37or EU member states. And I do think that it is absolutely against European values or something
00:44that we refer to very often. And that is very unfortunate.
00:49The decision by the European Council came after mass protests in the country following
00:53elections critics claim were rigged. Controversial laws were also passed last year by the Georgian
00:59parliaments that undermine basic democratic rights, according to Brussels.
01:05Bocharushvili rejected this notion, stressing Georgia's willingness to pursue its path to
01:10EU membership.
01:13When we applied for EU membership, for a long time, Georgia has been a very dedicated partner
01:18for European Union. And that is not just empty words. Georgia is there with its intention
01:24to be part of the European Union and we are very serious about that.
01:28Following a decision of the Georgian government in November of 2024, the opening of negotiations
01:34with the European Union about membership is suspended until 2028.