Georgia Sets Visa Deadline for Russian Peacekeepers

In a letter sent to the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the Abkhaz conflict zone, the Georgian Military Police have warned that the peacekeepers must obtain Georgian visas before March 10, Chief of the Military Police Aleksandre Sukhitashvili told Civil Georgia on Monday.

Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili called on the Russian side on February 21 to launch consultations to solve the issues related to visas for the Russian peacekeepers stationed in both the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflict zones.

“Until there is an appropriate legal base, they should obtain visas on the Georgian territory. Russia itself imposed visa requirements for Georgia in 2000,” Bezhuashvili said.

In a statement issued on February 27 the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Abkhazia under the aegis of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) expressed “bewilderment” regarding this letter by the Chief of Georgian Military Police, RIA Novosti reported.

The statement describes this deadline as a unilateral measure, as peacekeepers’ deployment and their status are prescribed by “intergovernmental agreements,” which can be revised only “through interstate negotiations.”