Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, has condemned Lithuania’s decision to revoke visa-free travel for Georgian citizens holding diplomatic and service passports. He described the move as a “gross and legally unfounded violation” of the 2010 international agreement between the European Union and Georgia on visa facilitation.
In a social media post, Papuashvili emphasized that both the EU and its member states are bound to uphold international legal commitments and respect the rules-based international order.
He further noted that the 2010 agreement initially benefited only high-ranking officials under former president Mikheil Saakashvili, while ordinary Georgian citizens had to wait until 2017—thanks to the efforts of the ruling Georgian Dream party—for broader visa-free access to the EU.
Lithuania’s decision, announced on May 21, was reported by Delfi. The government has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with informing the European Commission and other EU member states within five working days.
For additional context, Estonia also revoked visa-free access for Georgian diplomatic passport holders earlier this month, on May 8.
Related story: Lithuania revokes visa-free travel for Georgian diplomatic and official passport holders
