Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said the country should not compromise its sovereignty in exchange for maintaining visa-free travel with the European Union, commenting ahead of a planned EU-Georgia dialogue on visa liberalization scheduled for June 11.
Papuashvili described the upcoming meeting as a technical rather than political discussion, noting that it will be attended by representatives of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry. He argued that the conditions recently raised by some European actors go beyond the original requirements linked to visa liberalization.
According to Papuashvili, Georgia opposes joining EU sanctions against Russia and rejects calls to remove transparency requirements for foreign funding. He claimed that some of the demands amount to political conditions unrelated to the visa-free regime and would undermine the country’s sovereignty.
The comments come as the European Commission prepares to hold consultations with Georgia under the visa suspension mechanism. The first meeting between Georgian officials and the European Commission is scheduled for June 11.
