EU’s Mogherini: Situation in Georgia extremely encouraging, EU should deliver on visa waiver

The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini , says the situation in Georgia is "extremely positive” and the EU should respond appropriately and deliver visa liberalisation for the country. 

The EU top official said this yesterday following a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium. 

This was an issue that not only [EU Foreign] Ministers discussed but one that I raised to the Ministers at the very beginning – visa liberalisation both for Georgia and for Ukraine - with a clear sense around the table of Foreign Ministers that this is a priority for the European Union to deliver on that,” Mogherini stated. 

She stressed Georgia had "met the criteria and there was a determination to move forward on that”.

I am looking forward to the visit of the [Georgian] Prime Minister here. It was considered by all that the situation in Georgia is clearly extremely encouraging, extremely positive and that there is a need on the European Union's side to deliver on visa liberalisation,” the EU High Representative said. 

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has already backed plans to grant citizens of Georgia the right to travel to the Schengen area without a visa.

The European Commission also stressed Georgia met all the obligations drafted within the Georgia-EU Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP).