At the meeting of the delegations of Georgia and the European Commission, the Georgian side once again confirmed its readiness to continue cooperation based on mutual respect - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A meeting was held in Brussels between the Georgian delegation and the European Commission delegation within the framework of the visa dialogue, in particular, regarding the European Commission's Executive Regulation of March 6, 2026 on the temporary suspension of the visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, service and official passports of Georgia. As stated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the aforementioned decision of the European Commission is based on a report that provides a biased assessment of the current situation in Georgia, which in itself does not allow for making appropriate and objective conclusions.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the decision to temporarily suspend the visa-free regime for holders of diplomatic and service passports of Georgia, made on the basis of insufficient justification, is unfair.
“Nevertheless, the reasons given by the EU side for the suspension of the visa-free regime, the recommendations presented by the European Commission, and the measures taken or ongoing by Georgia to implement them were discussed within the framework of the visa dialogue.
It was emphasized that the Constitution of Georgia and the current legislation ensure the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, including the rights of expression, assembly and demonstration, association, privacy and equality. It was noted that effective national mechanisms for the protection of human rights are in place in the country and the strengthening of relevant institutions continues. Also, the evidence of ensuring the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration in the country is the protest rallies regularly organized by political parties and civil activists over a long period of time.
It was noted that, despite the violent nature of the 2024 rallies and the attacks on state institutions and law enforcement agencies, attacks, relevant investigative actions are underway to identify abuse of authority, abuse of power and other violations by state officials and employees of law enforcement agencies. It was emphasized that five people have currently been detained on charges of abuse of authority by law enforcement officers during the operation to disperse the violent protests of 2024 and obstruction of the activities of a journalist in one episode, and a court case is underway against them.
It was emphasized that the demand to repeal the laws adopted by the elected legislative body is unfounded, while they were adopted based on the national and public interests of Georgia and do not contradict any international convention or agreement to which Georgia is a member,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
According to the same information, it was noted at the meeting that the Constitution and legislation of Georgia have created effective mechanisms to combat discrimination.
"The meeting discussed Georgia's progress in migration management, prevention of illegal migration and readmission. It was noted that Georgia actively cooperates with EU member states and relevant agencies. The fight against corruption, the creation of an asset recovery department, the development of a new anti-corruption strategy and the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the State Audit Office were noted.
The working group noted that the Georgian government continues to work on practical issues to ensure the sustainability of the visa liberalization process with the EU.
At the same time, it was emphasized that political manipulation of this issue is unacceptable. The Georgian side once again confirmed its readiness to continue constructive cooperation with the EU based on mutual respect, equality and common interests and emphasized the importance of high-level political dialogue," the Georgian Foreign Ministry noted.