EU moves towards suspending visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats

BRUSSELS - European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday that the bloc should suspend visa-free travel for Georgian officials holding diplomatic passports following a crackdown in Georgia on pro-EU protests.

"The situation is not going to a positive direction for the Georgian people," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters following a meeting of the ministers on Monday.

"Today we agreed the need to halt the visa-free regime for diplomatic passport holders," she added.

The ministers asked the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to make a proposal on the issue. Diplomats said they expected that proposal would then be adopted by EU governments in a majority vote.

One diplomat said the measure was intended to affect leading Georgian politicians without imposing a punishment on ordinary citizens.

Kallas said ministers also discussed sanctioning "Georgian officials who are behind the violence against peaceful protesters" but did not come to a consensus. Such a move would require unanimity among the EU's 27 members.

"There was very intense discussion and there was also a lot of will to do more," Kallas said, adding that the visa move was a symbolic first step.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said his country, together with Slovakia, had vetoed sanctions against some Georgian police officials.

Hungary is often at odds with the majority view on EU foreign policy matters.

Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory in an election in October that the opposition says was tainted by fraud. A government announcement in November that it was suspending EU accession talks until 2028 sparked protests and a crackdown rights groups say is without recent precedent in Georgia.

Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister chairing her first ministers' session since taking over as EU foreign policy chief, said "it's my first Hungarian veto, but I can guarantee it's not the last". But she said she would keep working with Hungary.

The EU ministers supported the visas move in a "qualified majority" vote, which requires at least 15 member states making up at least 65% of the EU population to vote in favour.

(Reporting by Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray; Editing by Alex Richardson and Hugh Lawson)