Germany, France, and Poland revoke visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats
Germany, France, and Poland revoke visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats (Illustrative photo: flickr.com)
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland have announced that their countries will adhere to the European Union's decision to revoke the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomats. The decision is linked to the political crisis in Georgia and the official suspension of European integration by Tbilisi, according to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle countries (Germany, France, and Poland) - Annalena Baerbock, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Radosław Sikorski - expressed their serious concern over the political crisis that emerged in Georgia following the parliamentary elections on October 26 and the Georgian Dream party’s decision to freeze the EU accession process.
"The cause of this crisis lies in the political course chosen by Georgia's ruling party and its departure from the European path," the ministers stated.
Officials from Germany, France, and Poland emphasized that they had repeatedly urged the Georgian government to change its course and return to EU integration by adopting European norms and values and implementing reforms.
The ministers also strongly condemned acts of violence against protesters in Georgia, as well as attacks on media representatives and opposition leaders, which have been documented in recent weeks.
According to the foreign ministers of several EU countries, the political course of repression and retreat from democracy chosen by the ruling Georgian Dream party has led to the deterioration of our relations on both European and national levels and a reduction in our support and cooperation with the Georgian authorities.
"Therefore, we will comply with the EU decision to revoke the visa-free regime for Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports and will consider additional measures at both the EU and national levels," the joint statement said.
The statement also highlighted that, according to the OSCE/ODIHR report, the parliamentary elections held on October 26, 2024, in Georgia - a candidate country for EU membership - were marred by widespread violations of electoral procedures.
The foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle countries called on the Georgian authorities to engage in a national dialogue with all stakeholders to resolve the political crisis and to hold new elections.
"We reaffirm our commitment to supporting the democratic and European aspirations of the Georgian people," the ministers added.
As previously reported, on December 27, 2024, the US imposed financial sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, for undermining Georgia's democratic and Euro-Atlantic future in favor of Russia.
Earlier, the US had sanctioned Georgia’s Interior Minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri.
In mid-December, Lithuania imposed sanctions on an additional 17 Georgian politicians and officials. Before that, Estonia sanctioned the Georgian Prime Minister and 13 other officials.
It was also reported that on December 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to developments in Georgia and announced forthcoming sanctions.
