Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili said that Russia’s readiness to lift visa requirements for Georgian citizens is “a step in right direction.”
In the same statement the PM noted “historic importance” of the European Commission’s expected proposal to allow Georgian citizens visa-free short stay in the Schengen area and said that the Georgian authorities “reasonable foreign policy” yields “tangible results.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said at an annual press conference on Thursday that Moscow is “ready to cancel visa regime” for Georgia.
PM Garibashvili said in a written statement released in reaction to Putin’s remarks: “The Georgian authorities [unilaterally] cancelled visa rules for Russian citizens back in 2011. This year we further prolonged the period during which they can stay [without visas] in Georgia, because we are interested in having more tourists from Russia and to ease people-to-people contacts as much as possible.”
“The interest of our numerous compatriots living in Russia, as well as of Georgian business people and ordinary citizens towards simplification of visa regime should also be taken into consideration. It is their desire to move between the two countries with minimum difficulties,” the Georgian PM said.
“Despite disagreements of principle nature between Georgia and Russia, including over the causes of the 2008 August war and its consequences, we managed to take certain steps in trade, transport and humanitarian areas over the past three years.”
“We are ready to continue our pragmatic course with respect to Russia and expect the same approach from Russia,” he said.
“In the coming days we expect the EU decision on visa liberalisation for Georgian citizens that will be an event of historic importance,” the PM said.
“It is a principled position of our government that Georgian citizens should have maximum opportunities for free movement throughout the world.”
“Reasonable foreign policy pursued by our government yields serious tangible results. That’s precisely how our citizens and Western partners perceive it,” he added.
PM’s special representative for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, said that the Georgian side was aware that Russia was planning to announce intention on lifting visa rules for the Georgian citizens.
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