“We are ready for open dialogue, including over the issues reviewed in Brussels,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told Georgian reporters in Bishkek.

Irakli Kobakhidze views the use of the visa liberalization issue by European bureaucracy as “regrettable.”

“Our responses are clear; the rest is politics. We hope that in the end, European bureaucracy will change its attitude, and a fair attitude toward the Georgian people and our country will be established. We have responses to all questions, and we are open to a dialogue.

It is regrettable that visa liberalization is used for blackmail. We actually blocked all paths for blackmail; the only theoretical tool left is visa liberalization, and specific forces are attempting to use this tool for blackmail against the Georgian people and our state. This is an incorrect approach. We need a fair attitude, and we talk to our European partners with this message,” he said.

On 11 June, European Commission representatives met with the Georgian delegation for an in-depth dialogue on visas.