Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has announced that the Netherlands will request the European Union to suspend the visa-free regime with Georgia.
Speaking before a meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers, Veldkamp stated that the Netherlands would make this request following the arrest of over 200 people during recent protests in Georgia. The Foreign Minister emphasized that this step is intended to send a clear message to the Georgian government: “The path they are on comes at a cost.”
Veldkamp also mentioned plans to appeal to the OSCE to investigate the actions of the Georgian government.
As early as September, prior to the recent events in Georgia, an EU Commission representative had warned that the European Union was prepared to suspend visa-free travel for Georgian citizens in response to anti-democratic actions by the Georgian authorities and their anti-Western rhetoric.
