First Vice Speaker Volski calls for EC to consider ratings alongside political factors in visa liberalisation review

“The issue of visa liberalisation for Georgia will be reviewed by the European Commission in early December. However, today’s discussion will be important for the subsequent stage of the process,” said Gia Volski, First Vice Speaker.

Gia Volski remarked on the EC’s enlargement report on Georgia to be published today.

“If anyone is interested in the visa liberalisation issue, they should know that the report will not consist of political assessments, which we have heard many times from Brussels, be it the European Parliament or other formats. There will be political components when reviewing the visa liberalisation issue, but there will be others, such as assessments from the Interpol, cooperation in the fight against crime, requirements for asylum seekers, and the number of those crossing the state border.

There are numerous technical issues to be considered, including the ratings. We hope that these will indeed be taken into account. The ratings indicate that Georgia is a leading country, even ahead of some European nations. However, when I say I hope, it does not mean that our hope will necessarily be realised. We have heard many assessments that are unrealistic, untrue, and baseless. Attacks on official Tbilisi serve certain political interests and objectives.

I believe today’s meeting will be interesting, serving as yet another confirmation that there are facts, perceptions, viewpoints, and attitudes surrounding the political strategy that Europe is following. This is normal, and we should not feel frustrated,” he said.