Germany to Back EU Proposal on Visa-Free Regime for Georgia - Merkel

Germany will support the European Commission's initiative to grant Georgian citizens visa-free travel to the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — According to the chancellor, Germany will seek consultations on the issue to start as soon as possible.

"Germany will not oppose the European Commission's decision," Merkel told journalists.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Wednesday during talks with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to consider the trip to Tbilisi.

Georgia's Prime Minister is in Germany now with an official visit which will last till June 16.

"I will try to think it over. I know, Georgia is a great country….We have a very busy inner-political agenda," said Merkel when answering to the invitation of Kvirikashvili to visit Tbilisi.

Brussels and Tbilisi signed the EU-Georgia Association Agreement on June 27, 2014. In March 2016, the European Commission proposed to lift visa regime for Georgian citizens.

The delegations of the EU member states have discussed the visa liberalization with the Caucasian nation earlier in June and decided to suspend the final decision on the issue. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania subsequently urged Brussels to grant visa-free travel to Georgia.