“The visa-free regime will be canceled! Not today, but tomorrow. Russia is here, and the Schengen zone does not have visa-free travel with Russia. They understand perfectly well that when a Russian with a Georgian passport slips polonium into someone’s tea in Germany or laces a jacket collar with ‘Novichok’ in France, it will already be too late,” wrote Zurab Japaridze, leader of “Girchi – More Freedom,” in a letter from prison.
Alongside the likelihood of the visa-free regime with Georgia being canceled, Japaridze addresses the education reform announced by the government, stating that everyone must understand that, as a result of this reform, it will become practically impossible for young people to study in the West.
“It is utterly unserious to engage in earnest discussions with concerned faces about how the so-called education reform announced by ‘Georgian Shame’ will supposedly not improve the quality of education in the country but, on the contrary, worsen it for this or that reason.
Engaging in this discussion means allowing the possibility that the Russians might implement a good and desirable reform in the education system here.
Come on! What are we even talking about? Still don’t understand where we are?
The short-term goal of what they are planning is to purge the system of critical thinking and destroy the last free spaces (a few universities), while the long-term goal is to leave future generations without the ability to think critically, unable to distinguish between friend and foe.
But even talking about this doesn’t make much sense, because those who understand where we are also understand this.
What needs to be said often and everywhere is that studying in the West will become practically impossible. This must reach the ears of every parent who is currently oblivious and hopes their children will escape from here to study abroad.
This is what needs to be explained repeatedly and everywhere.
Soon, to study abroad, a young person will first have to stand in line at an embassy for a visa, fill out applications, take photos, then complete their 12th year of education somewhere, then apply for a visa again, and so on. If 5 out of 100 manage to go, that will be a good result.
This is what we should be talking about, not about how bad a particular faculty is at a particular university or that Russia is doing this.
And while we’re on the topic of visas, this nonsense needs to stop – ‘We’ve asked that the Georgian people not be punished, and only the regime’s pillars be sanctioned.’ What are you doing? Scoring points with the public by pretending to fight for the visa-free regime? Are you begging for it? Did we get it back then because of begging? And when they suspend it, what will you say – that they didn’t heed our pleas? Even if you don’t say it, Imedi [TV] will, won’t they?
They will cancel it! Not today, but tomorrow. Russia is here, and the Schengen zone does not have visa-free travel with Russia. They understand perfectly well that when a Russian with a Georgian passport slips polonium into someone’s tea in Germany or laces a jacket collar with ‘Novichok’ in France, it will already be too late.
So stop this monkey business. The time for such things is over,” writes Zura Japaridze.
Zurab Japaridze: Studying in the West will become practically impossible; this must reach every parent’s ears, and the visa-free regime will be canceled! Not today, but tomorrow – Russia is here, and the Schengen zone does not have visa-free travel with Russia
