Kobakhidze Says ‘Global War Party' Uses EU Visa Threat to Open Second Front in Georgia
'The desire to open a second front in Georgia is so strong that the Global War Party has pushed the entire European bureaucracy into attack mode against Georgia, and they see abolishing visa-free travel – the last trump card in their hands – as leverage,' said Irakli Kobakhidze, who also chairs the Georgian Dream, during a July 18
briefing
at the ruling party's headquarters.
Kobakhidze accused the so-called Global War Party of coordinating 'European structures and specific bureaucrats' to achieve its goals, warning that the danger of war for Georgia 'has not gone away.' The Global War Party conspiracy alongside the 'deep state' theory has been a prominent theme in the GD rhetoric since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. GD claims that a group of influential Western officials has been trying to drag Georgia into a war with Russia.
'Those seeking to drag our country into war believe that abolishing visa-free travel with the EU on a fictitious basis will spark such unrest that it will eventually lead to the overthrow of the government and the coming to power of the agents,' he added.
Kobakhidze's statement followed a letter from the European Commission to the ruling Georgian Dream party warning that visa-free travel could be suspended if eight recommendations were not met. The recommendations include repealing controversial legislation targeting civil society and LGBT rights, specifically the
Foreign Agents Law
and
anti-LGBT legislation
on the protection of 'family values and minors.'
'What does transparency or a law protecting family values have to do with visa liberalization?' Kobakhidze said. 'Of course, there is no link between these two topics, but the Global War Party–coordinated European bureaucracy is trying to invent a ground for its blackmail and pressure.'
Kobakhidze cited the latest
European Parliament resolution
, the
joint statement
by 18 European foreign ministers and HR/VP Kaja Kallas, the
discussions
in the EU Foreign Affairs Council, and the recent
letter
from the European Commission warning of visa-free suspension, and said that 'these provocative steps taken by European bureaucrats, who are controlled by the Global War Party, aim to change the government and support the opposition.'
In a broader context, Kobakhidze claimed that the so-called Global War Party seeks to 'place the burden of the Ukrainian issue entirely on Europe's shoulders' — a strategy he argued is intended to 'destroy both Europe and Russia at the same time.' Opening a second front in Georgia, he alleged, is part of this plan.
'Today, among EU leaders, the war rhetoric is so strong that not only is there no end in sight to the military confrontation, but everything is being done to prolong it,' Kobakhidze said, citing the continued arming of Ukraine, the supply of long-range weapons, and sanctions against Russia.
He also pointed to EU countries' decision to allocate 5 percent of their GDP to defense spending next year, arguing that this effectively turns them into 'military states.' According to him, the move 'further escalates the risk of war on the continent and, on the other hand, worsens the economic and social situation within the EU.'
Earlier on July 17, Irakli Kobakhidze
said
visa-free travel with the EU is 'not existential' and that 'peace and stability' should come first if there's a choice between the two.
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