Georgian Parliament Speaker: EU uses visa threats as blackmail against citizens

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised the European Union’s leadership, labeling them “ordinary blackmailers” following suggestions that Georgia’s visa-free travel regime could be suspended.

Papuashvili’s remarks came in response to a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which indicated that visa suspension could be extended to the entire population if the Georgian government fails to address specific concerns.

Speaking to reporters, the speaker argued that the EU’s pressure has nothing to do with democratic standards and everything to do with political control.

“These statements help us see what we are really dealing with. In reality, the EU leadership are ordinary blackmailers, threatening an entire nation”, the speaker said.

He further claimed that representatives of von der Leyen had been involved in campaigning against the ruling Georgian Dream party during the 2024 elections and that organisations had been funded for electoral purposes.

After the Georgian Dream’s victory, he added, Georgia had faced continuous attacks.

“The main message of this blackmail is: ‘Georgian people, either you obey our will and do what we tell you - we will appoint your judges and prosecutors, we will make you legalise same-sex marriage, repeal this or adopt that law - or you will have to come to our embassy to obtain a visa’. This is how they think of the Georgian people - that they would choose a visa over freedom”, Papuashvili continued.

He also accused the EU of underestimating the Georgian people.

Papuashvili argued that Georgia had previously faced visa restrictions and economic sanctions in different periods of its independence and would not trade freedom for travel privileges.

He criticised what he described as a “values crisis” in Brussels, saying it was insulting to assume Georgians would prioritise visas over freedom.

Addressing the EU’s claim that these measures are intended to “save democracy” in Georgia, the Speaker pointed to what he described as historical hypocrisy.

He reminded the public that in 2010, the European Union granted visa facilitation to the government of then-President Mikheil Saakashvili, which Papuashvili characterized as a “dictatorship”.

“They gave visa-free travel to Saakashvili’s regime - the creators of a system of torture and murder - not to the people, but to the elite. The Georgian people will not let this lie pass”, Papuashvili concluded.