Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili criticised the European Council’s decision to suspend visa liberalisation for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports, calling its basis “false and hypocritical”.
Papuashvili accused Brussels of “targeting Georgia while ignoring the historical context” behind the original visa agreements.
He reminded that “serious human rights violations had occurred” under Mikheil Saakashvili’s leadership, including “uninvestigated murders” seizure of media outlets and formation of a “systematic culture of torture” in prisons.
"Brussels rewarded the creators of this autocracy, not ordinary citizens, with visa-free travel, while it took another 7 years - and the defeat of the regime by Georgian Dream - for Georgian citizens to receive the same privilege”, Papuashvili said.
The speaker noted the bloc’s decision was “no surprise given the ongoing calls for the release of Saakashvili, the architect of the authoritarian regime”.