Possible Visas for Georgians – Kovalenko
Russian visas will be granted to Georgian citizens in a limited number as soon as the Russian consulate resumes functioning in Tbilisi, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, Russian ambassador to Georgia, said at a press conference in Moscow on October 3.
“Visas will be granted in humanitarian cases and some extreme cases, as well as to those with relatives in Russia,” Kovalenko said.
He said Russia currently had no diplomatic ties with Georgia. This would change, he said, only after “Georgia suspends its confrontational policy towards Russia.”
The Russian ambassador said it was in Georgia’s national interests to restore “good neighbour” relations and economic cooperation with Russia. “It has no alternative,” he added.
Speaking at a press conference at the Interfax news agency offices, Kovalenko said removing “Mikheil Saakashvili’s regime” had never been a Russian objective.
“We never tried and we don’t intend to,” he said. “This is not our style.”
Kovalenko left Georgia on September 30, almost a month after Georgia formally notified Moscow of its decision to cut diplomatic ties with Russia. Russia shut its embassy and consulate in Tbilisi on September 3.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
