Georgia-Germany enjoy ‘exemplary’ judicial cooperation
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, September 6
Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze claims Georgia-Germany cooperation in the judicial field is “exemplary”, after Germany blocked Georgia’s visa-free travel in the EU this summer because of certain crimes committed by Georgians abroad.
Janelidze made the statement following his meeting with Germany’s Deputy Interior Minister prior to voting at the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) this week on Georgia’s visa waiver.
“Germany has emphasized the positive dynamic of cooperation with Georgia. The Deputy Interior Minister assessed the practice of cooperation with the Georgian law enforcers as exemplary,“ Janelidze said after his meeting with Emily Haber.
Janelidze stressed that Georgian law enforcers’ practice has proved successful in terms of combating organized crime.
“Haber positively assessed the Georgian government’s efforts and reforms implemented in the process of Euro-integration. She says Germany appreciates Georgia’s progress in the visa liberalization process and is interested in Georgia having visa-free travel with the EU,” Janelidze said.
Germany has delayed Georgia’s bid to get EU visa-free travel due to a political decision related to instability in the Black Sea region.
Germany, along with France and Italy, rejected the motion at an EU ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels on June 8.
This came the same day that Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili was in the EU capital to lobby for Georgia’s visa liberalisation.
Berlin said the German people were worried about a recent spate of home burglaries by Georgian criminal groups in Germany, diplomatic sources said, though the move was dubbed as hypocritical by some, who pointed out the relatively small number of Georgians in Germany compared with refugees, some of whom have committed serious crimes since their arrival in the country in 2015. Most alarming has been an increase of sex attacks on European women by migrant men.
