Permanent representatives of the European Union's 27 member states decided on Friday to temporarily suspend the visa-free regime for holders of Georgian diplomatic passports., TASS reported citing a source from one of the EU Council delegations.

“Yes, permanent representatives reached an agreement this morning to suspend the visa-free regime for Georgian diplomatic passports,” the source said.

According to the diplomat, the decision must still be formally approved by the EU Council, which could happen at the upcoming meeting of the 27 foreign ministers scheduled for January 27.

On December 20, the European Commission officially proposed suspending the visa-free regime for Georgian officials and diplomats, citing increasing diplomatic setbacks in the country.

Meanwhile, parliamentary elections held in Georgia on October 26 have heightened domestic political tensions. According to official results from the Central Election Commission, the ruling party “Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia” secured 53.93% of the vote, winning 89 out of 150 parliamentary seats. However, four opposition parties that surpassed the 5% threshold refused to recognize the election results, claiming they were rigged. Since November 4, opposition leaders have been organizing protests.