The Weimar Triangle countries (Poland, Germany, France) are canceling visa-free entry for holders of Georgian diplomatic passports, according to a statement from this group released by the Polish Foreign Ministry.
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“We are implementing the EU decision to abolish the visa-free regime for Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports,” the message says.
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The above countries also promise to consider “additional measures at the EU and national levels” in relation to Georgia. This position is explained in the statement by the recent political changes that have occurred in Georgia.
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“We, the foreign ministers of the Weimar Triangle, are seriously concerned about the political crisis that occurred in Georgia after the parliamentary elections on October 26 and after the decision of the Georgian Dream party to freeze the process of accession to the EU,” it says.
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Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which advocates maintaining relations with Russia and against anti-Russian sanctions, received 53.93% of the votes. Four opposition parties also entered parliament, receiving a total of 37.78%. Opposition representatives have already stated that they do not recognize the CEC data. Special Coordinator of the short-term OSCE mission Pascal Alizar noted the good organization of the elections in Georgia, while stating a number of violations recorded by observers. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who helps the pro-European opposition, although according to the constitution the president must be non-partisan, called for protests over the election results.
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In October, the European Commission, in a regular report on the progress of EU candidate countries, said that Georgia’s EU membership process had “effectively stopped” and called on Tbilisi to carry out comprehensive electoral reform.
