Over 60 Georgian citizens have already been denied entry into Moscow by Russian border guard officials who have cited visa irregularities. Meanwhile several hundred trucks remain stuck at the Russian-Georgian border, which has been closed since early September.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian Ambassador to Georgia, Vladimir Chkhikvishvili, on September 21 and handed him a note demanding that his country explain the reasons behind the detention of dozens of Georgian passengers in the Moscow airport. The Georgian Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs also held a hearing on September 22 regarding this issue.
According to Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze, following the Beslan terrorist act Russia has heightened control over its borders. He said Russian security forces, in cooperation with border guard officials, launched an operation codenamed “Migrant.” Checking procedures are being held in hotels, markets and other places. As the Georgian Foreign Ministry reports, around 800 foreign citizens have already been deported out of Russia due either to visa irregularities or for failing to register on time.
Georgian authorities urged the tourist firms, which specialize in arranging Russian visas, to carefully observe all the visa requirements. “Under the conditions of the tightened regime, Russian border guards started verifying compliance of the visa status with the visitor’s objective, which, eventually, led to the above-mentioned incidents,” said Merab Antadze, the Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, in an information note issued on September 21.
According to Head of the Georgian Consular Service Giorgi Tabatadze, the law of the Russian Federation, which regulates the entry of foreigners into the country, says that in cases of non-compliance of the visa status with the objective of the visit, the Russian border guards have the right not to let foreigners through the border.
However, the Georgian side is concerned over the “terrible conditions” in which the Georgian citizens detained in the Moscow airport were kept. Most of the Georgian passengers flew back to Tbilisi, but around a dozen of these Georgians are reportedly still in the Moscow airport.
Presently, said Merab Antadze, the Head of the Consular Service of Georgia to Moscow and other officials from the Embassy are at the scene in order to address the problems facing the Georgian citizens in the shortest possible terms.
According to Giorgi Tabatadze, several Georgian passengers have already applied to the Consular Service of the Georgian Foreign Ministry wishing to appeal against their detention in the Moscow airports. Russian border guards have already drawn-up legal papers for several of these passengers, who may appeal to the courts. However, most citizens who returned from Moscow have no such legal documents, they were warned only verbally.
Along with ordinary citizens, the state budget of Georgia is also suffering great losses, due to particular problems relating to crossing the Russian border. According to the head of Georgia’s Customs Northern Department, Kakha Mikeladze, loses from customs revenues at the Larsi checkpoint during these last 20 days were between 3 and 4 million Lari.
“Freight traffic was suspended just after the Beslan tragedy. Over 300 trucks remain stuck on both sides of the Russian-Georgian border,” chief of Georgia’s Customs Northern Department, Kakha Mikeladze Kakha Mikeladze told Civil Georgia.
According to the Georgian Customs Department, mainly small businessmen suffered as a result of the border closing; big businessmen could redirect their freight to the sea route – towards the port in Novorossiysk.
Kazbegi is the only land checkpoint with Russia which is controlled by the Georgian authorities. Despite Russia’s announcement concerning the closing of its border with Georgia, the South Ossetian section of the Russo-Georgian border (Roki pass) remains open.
Hence, by closing its borders with the South Caucasus, Russia has encouraged transit movement to be diverted through breakaway South Ossetia. Reportedly, traffic of Azeri and Armenian goods via secessionist South Ossetia has increased recently.
Georgia is not the only country which shares a border with Russia that has been imposed with border restrictions. Spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Yakovenko said on September 22 that particular restrictions will be imposed on the Russian-Azerbaijani border as well. Yakovenko said these restrictions are temporary and the usual regime will be restored after “the situation calms down in the region.”
