The reaction of the United States and the EU to the restoration of air links between Georgia and Russia has become the occasion for new attacks against Western partners by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Recall that representatives of the European Union and the United States Department of State have warned the Georgian authorities that “now is not the time to intensify engagement with Russia” and that, as a country awaiting the status as a candidate for EU membership, Georgia should “be vigilant” against any possible attempt by Russia to circumvent the sanctions imposed after the large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
In response to this, Georgian Dream accused the United States of allegedly groundlessly and “discriminatoryly” refusing to issue visas to Georgian citizens by the American consulate in Georgia. In particular, according to Irakli Kobakhidze, president of Georgian Dream, only 37% of all applicants in Georgia receive US visas.
“At the same time, the same indicator (of US visas issued) in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia and Russia last year was 63% to 88%. It’s impossible to explain. If I was a US ambassador, I would be interested in the work of the consulate,” Kobakhidze said.
He also noted that the United States had not formalized a free trade agreement with Georgia for thirty years and had not offered Georgian citizens visa-free entry into the United States.
For her part, US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan said on May 18 that “thousands of Georgians” travel to the United States every year. Degnan noted that there are certain rules and procedures that are required to obtain US visas and that the process is transparent. The ambassador stressed that all people who comply with these rules receive permission to enter the United States in the usual way.
At the same time, Degnan urged Georgian authorities to think about what the Russian president was being guided by when he rolled back the restrictions imposed on Georgians by himself earlier.
“I think the important question is why Putin is making these concessions right now. What price will Georgia have to pay for the restoration of direct flights, a visa-free regime, or the possible restoration of rail links… These are very important questions, because we all know that Putin does nothing to nothing and don’t give anything for nothing,” the US Ambassador said.
Degnan herself believes that Russia is thus trying to alienate Georgia from Western foreign policy.
“We see Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future under attack by an aggressive propaganda campaign aimed at keeping people in a state of fear. Fear of reprisals from Russia if Georgia continues to fight for its European future… Today, from the Kremlin, we are witnessing the “policy of involvement” under the pretext of starting to normalize relations with Georgia and trying to alienate it from Western partners… The history of Georgia’s relations with Russia is full of endless promise and humiliation. These memories are probably enough to rally Georgians against this latest attempt by the Kremlin to send Georgia back into Russia’s shadow,” the US ambassador told reporters.
The president of the Georgian Dream was quick to react. Kobakhidze called Degnan’s comment “completely incomprehensible” and said that in fact Russia only reversed the “punishment” it itself introduced in 2019 for Georgian citizens.
“It is absolutely incomprehensible for me to pay what price for this from us,” said one of the Georgian Dream executives.
Recall that according to the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin of May 10, Russia has canceled from May 15 the visa regime with Georgia, as well as the ban on direct flights. It should be noted that Russia introduced entry visas for Georgia in 2000 under the pretext of “guaranteeing security”, and under the same pretext, referring to “Russophobia” in Georgia, banned direct flights between countries in 2019.
Meanwhile, the opposition and civil society in Georgia protest daily against the resumption of flights between the two countries. On 18 May, more than a hundred non-governmental organizations issued an appeal to the Georgian authorities urging them not to jeopardize Georgia’s European future and to heed the European Union’s warning that the decision to resume flights with Russia The federation could negatively affect Georgia obtaining the status of an EU candidate country, which it has already refused once in June 2022.
“Contrary to the will of 89% of the Georgian population and to Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution (according to which the constitutional bodies must take all measures within their power to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and NATO – author’s note ), the leadership continues to try to change the course of Georgia’s foreign policy. In anticipation of the EU decision on candidate status, such a move on the part of of the authorities contradicts the foreign policy chosen by the Georgian people,” the non-governmental organizations said in a statement.
It should be remembered that according to all the sociological surveys carried out in Georgia, the vast majority of the population is in favor of the country’s integration into the EU and NATO.
Thus, according to the results of the latest poll conducted in Georgia in March by the International Republican Institute (IRI) (an American non-governmental organization that supports the development of political parties, civil society, free and fair elections), the Georgia’s membership of the EU is supported by 89% and NATO by 80% % of IRIs surveyed.
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