Ruling party MP “confident” visa-free travel with EU will not be subject to “any sanctions”

Giorgi Kakhiani, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday expressed confidence that visa-free travel between Georgia and the European Union would “not be subject to any sanctions” amid strained relations between the Georgian Government and the bloc.

In his remarks over ongoing public protests in the country following the Georgian Government’s decision to halt EU accession talks until 2028, Kakhiani claimed “any decision regarding sanctions would be unfair”.

We hear endless threats regarding sanctions. I can say that what is important for citizens - for example, visa liberalisation [with the EU] - I am sure that no sanctions will affect it. If someone is thinking of imposing individual sanctions, this is not a problem”, the MP said.

“We have said many times that if any representative of the Georgian Dream who serves the interests of their country is sanctioned personally for this, this will not be a problem for us. The main thing is that this will not affect citizens and we do not expect any sanctions in this regard”, he concluded.

Pawel Herczynski, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Monday claimed developments in Georgia over the past 12 days were “clearly calling for sanctions” against Georgian officials, in reference to clashes between police forces and protesters amid the ongoing protests.

Herczynski noted work was underway to prepare sanctions against Georgian officials “if we reach unanimity” of the 27 member states of the European Union.