Belgium has removed Georgia from the list of safe country partners. Since July 10, Georgia is no longer featured in the updated list of the Belgian Commissioner General for Stateless Persons. The Kingdom of Belgium clarified that the decision was based on the commissioner’s opinion.
Georgia was previously included in the list of safe country partners alongside Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and India.
“The criteria are not only related to general policies (such as the presence of democratic institutions and political stability) but also to the legal situation and the observance of human rights in accordance with the standards of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),” the resolution attached to the updated list states.
Salome Samadashvili, from the “Lelo” party, stated: “Belgium made this decision because the current government of Georgia fails to uphold the rule of law in our country. It cannot protect the rights granted to its own citizens, and that’s why Belgium decided to grant refugee status to Georgian citizens through a simplified procedure, acknowledging that their own government cannot protect them.
When Belgium makes such a decision, stating that Georgia is not a safe country for its citizens, there is a serious risk that other countries will follow its lead. It’s not unlikely that some of them will raise the issue of suspending visa-free travel between Georgia and the EU. Our country’s pro-Russian government is doing everything it can to pull Georgia away from the European orbit and European space.”
Giya Volski, Vice-Speaker of Parliament from Georgian Dream, said: “I believe Belgium’s decision is somewhat related to recent minor clashes, but at the same time, it carries a political dimension.
It is unfortunate that some parts of the opposition rejoice at this decision, and I think they are intensively working towards conveying negative information to Europe. However, the facts show that Georgia remains a tourist center and a safe country. There is quite a significant team working to somehow restrict visa-free movement for Georgian citizens to Europe. This is another issue, but it has revealed much about our everyday life and once again proved that Georgia has more internal enemies than adversaries in the external format and space.”
