Irakli Kobakhidze: Blackmail tools exhausted, visa suspension no longer intimidates society

“In its time, the issue of visa liberalisation was perhaps more politically significant; today, in reality, they have rendered this matter politically irrelevant as well,” stated Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, on the programme “Actual Topic with Maka Tsintadze” on GPB First Channel.

According to him, they will not be able to artificially incite a revolution in the country even with this final instrument of blackmail, as society thinks very sensibly and approaches every decision unjustly imposed by European bureaucracy with pragmatism.

“It is in our interests, and in the interests of the population, that we enjoy comfort and that people are not subjected to the inconvenience of standing in visa queues and similar hardships. However, they have exhausted every instrument of blackmail so thoroughly that even the so-called threat of suspending visa liberalisation no longer holds any coercive power. One can only hope they understand that they will not be able to artificially provoke a revolution in our country, even with this final tool of blackmail, because society is quite sensible and approaches every decision made unjustly by European bureaucracy with pragmatism.

Taking all of this into account, I believe they will not make an impractical decision. Even if they were to do so in theory, it would not provoke a revolution, and ultimately, they would lose the last instrument they have for blackmail against the Georgian people. I think European bureaucracy will, in this case, lean more towards a pragmatic choice,” the Prime Minister stated.