Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili pushed back against opposition claims that the ruling Georgian Dream party is undermining EU integration, emphasizing the government’s key role in securing visa-free travel to the EU.

“I was involved from the very start of the visa dialogue. The reforms were driven by political will, not bureaucracy,” Botchorishvili said during a media interview, recalling the process that began in 2013.

She also criticized claims that visa liberalization suspension would benefit the ruling party, calling such suggestions misleading. Botchorishvili noted that attempts to use Georgia’s EU candidate status as political leverage have failed and emphasized that Brussels bureaucracy often misreads the political dynamics in Georgia.

“Efforts to influence our government from abroad backfired, only strengthening the public’s resolve to defend national interests,” she concluded.