The European Union Delegation to Georgia confirmed that Simon Vanderbroek, a member of the EU Delegation, who has been working in Georgia since September 2024, had been denied entry into the country.

According to the statement released by the Delegation, the Georgian authorities “verbally apologized for the unfortunate incident and confirmed that the employee can return to his workplace.”

“The EU Delegation to Georgia confirms that on 21 May, upon arrival at Tbilisi Airport, a member of the EU Delegation was denied entry into the country. The refusal to grant entry to a duly accredited member of the EU Delegation is contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and other relevant norms that Georgia is obliged to uphold.

A note verbale has been sent to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard. The Georgian authorities have expressed their sincere apologies for the unfortunate incident and confirmed that the staff member is able to return to his/her workplace,” the statement said.

On May 22, the media reported that a member of the European Union delegation, Simon Vanderbroek, was turned back from the Georgian border. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “there was a technical misunderstanding.”