Johannes Hahn: “Georgia deserves quick decision on visa liberalisation”

The European Union (EU) Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn says Georgia has fulfilled all requirements for visa-free travel to the Schengen zone and the country "deserved” a quick decision from EU authorities about being granted a visa waiver.

Hahn said this to Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili this afternoon in Brussels, Belgium where the two officials sat down to discuss Georgia’s European prospects and other important issues.

Good meeting w. President of #Georgia, @MargvelashviliG. We discussed #Georgia's #reformprogress +#visalib. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/NLRQ2abtbO

— Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) June 9, 2016

The EU high official stressed the swift solution from the Council of Europe (CoE) about Georgia’s EU visa liberalisation should meet the "legitimate expectations” of the Georgian people.

Hahn also tweeted this on his officer Twitter account:

"#Georgia fulfilled all benchmarks for #visalib + deserves quick #Council decision now to meet the citizen's legitimate expectations!" 2/3

— Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) June 9, 2016

President Margvelashvili confirmed Georgia met all EU requirements for a visa waiver and now the country was waiting for the appropriate "recognition” of these achievements from the European Parliament and the CoE.

I hope the process will be completed soon and positively,” said Margvelashvili.

Road to #visalib. defined by objective benchmarks. #Georgia+#Ukraine met these criteria+should get reward.Question of #EU#credibility!3/3

— Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) June 9, 2016

At the meeting today President Margvelashvili also told Hahn about the complicated situation in Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and spoke out the continuing violations committed by Russian occupying forces in and near the breakaway areas.

Margvelashvili particularly highlighted the recent murder of a Georgian man by Russian-controlled border guards on Georgian territory near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with de-facto Abkhazia. He also mentioned the new border signs erected by border guards a couple of days ago near eastern Avlevi village, at the ABL with de facto Tskhinvali.

Georgia’s President stressed the importance of the EU in regulating the conflict, as the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) was the only international mechanism acting near the ABLs in Georgia after the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008.