Arnaud Khidirbegishvili - editor in Chief of “Gruzinform”, the political scientist, expert on Georgia's foreign and domestic policy, gave an exclusive interview to Eurasia Diary on the impact of visa-free regime with the EU to Georgia.
Note that, on February 2, at the plenary session in Brussels, MEPs voted in favor of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens. They will be able to travel to Schengen countries without visas now.
Eurasia Diary: How visa-free regime with the EU will affect on the further situation in Georgia?
Arnaud Khidirbegishvili: Firstly, I want to explain all the intricacies of visa-free regime. Citizens of Georgia can reside in the Schengen area without a visa within 90 days every six months. If you want to stay for a longer period, it requires a visa.
Thus, we cannot, like other Europeans, show your passport and pass the border control. The biometric passports, which provide Georgia aren’t enough. We must show the hotel reservation, return ticket, a bank statement, where there is a sufficient amount of cash for the duration of residing in Europe (25 per day). Even that is not a guarantee that we would be allowed. If there are even small claims of law enforcement agencies of Georgia or other countries to a particular citizen, he will not be allowed to pass the border.
If we talk about the negative aspects of visa-free regime, then I am afraid that will cause an outflow of skilled labor. Knowing our character, we will be forced to look for jobs in the low-skilled jobs: nurses, for example, or watchmen.
Moreover, if for example, the Georgian organized criminal group will be caught somewhere in a European country, the European Parliament may cancel visa-free regime with the same ease with which they gave it to us.
However, there are positive aspects as well. There is a belief in Georgia that the pro-Russian propaganda depicts Europe in black tones, and in fact there is paradise. Let our people go there and see with their own eyes that life in EU is not ease as they depicted for themselves, it is necessary to work in the EU, and that they also have a lot of problems.
Personally, in my opinion there wasn’t a special breakthrough. Maybe in the mental plane - yes, but in reality nothing has changed. Always only those citizens of Georgia went to Europe, who had money. They always got all kinds of visas without any problems. 80% of Georgia's population have no money, they are fighting for survival and don’t care about the visa-free regime. In any case, you need money to travel to the EU.
Eurasia Diary: From your viewpoint, why Georgia got visa-free regime with EU earlier than Ukraine?
Arnaud Khidirbegishvili: It’s elementary. The same thing happened in 2008 when Saakashvili realized his failure. As you remember, protests took place on Rustaveli Street. He knew that it is necessary to resign. The same things happen to Poroshenko now. His rankings are almost zero. He does the same that Saakashvili did. Saakashvili started the war in South Ossetia; Poroshenko started the war in Donbas. Europe, which supported him, sees that he has gone too far. Naturally, in a country with an open war visa-free regime is impossible. Ukraine - is a black hole in the entire post-Soviet space. There are flocking all criminals and don’t extradite them. They justify it with the fact that criminals are fighting for Ukraine against Russia. No one will provide visa-free regime to such country.
Eurasia Diary: The news of a possible restoration of diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia has done a lot of noise in the media. Is it believable?
Arnaud Khidirbegishvili: It’s certainly very strange that this news comes only now in the media. This was a month ago. It was an interview with the Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Georgia for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze. Usually, he does not say a word without the consent of the central leadership. He meant that, if certain conditions are met, then the restoration of diplomatic relations is possible. The conditions are absolutely clear. The current Georgian government officially considers Russia an occupier and said that no words about restoration of diplomatic relations as long as Russia does not withdraw its recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and withdraw its armed forces from there. In its turn, Russia says that it is ready for dialogue with Georgia, but the issue of non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia resolved definitively.
I’ll tell you more. With the current government diplomatic relations will not be restored! The Georgian authorities will not change their position even under the influence of this new trend emerged with the election of the new President of the United States - to establish relations with Russia. By stating one thing today, authorities cannot do another thing tomorrow.
By Seyran Abbaszade
