De facto Abkhazia imposes visa regime for states not recognising its independence
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Leaders of Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia region plan to introduce visa regimes for states that refuse to recognise it as an independent state.
De facto Parliament Speaker of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba told Russian media the new immigration rules would come into effect on April 1, 2016.
Bganba said the step aimed to "regulate the migration policy and increase control on immigration”.
Russian citizens mainly come to Abkhazia as holidaymakers. Other countries’ citizens might come here, stay for years, work and never pay taxes,” Bganba told Russia’s new agency Tacc.
He added before the law came into play the de facto region’s checkpoints would be fitted with modern customs technologies.
Almost all of the international community believes Abkhazia is integral part of Georgia.
Russia and Nicaragua recognised Abkhazia’s independence in 2008 in the wake of the Russia-Georgia war. In 2009 Venezuela, Nauru and Tuvalu took the same step but after several years Vanuatu cancelled its view and said Abkhazia was part of Georgia.
If Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region and Venezuela sign a visa free travel agreement, this will be a blatant violation of international law, says official Tbilisi.
Abkhazia – one of the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia – is now being referred to as the ‘Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia’ instead of ‘Republic of Abkhazia’ on Google Maps after one Georgian internet user challenged the online spelling.
Georgia is condemning Russia’s "provocative” efforts to restore an old railway in occupied Georgia, and says the country will not tolerate "repeated aggression” on Georgian soil.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is calling on the international community to adequately assess Russia’s military trainings on Georgia breakaway territory of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and Abkhazia. More than 2,000 troops are currently participating in military trainings on Georgia’s two occupied territories.
The President of Georgia is appealing to the international community to adequately respond to Russia's military exercises in Georgia's breakaway regions Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), launched two days ago.
De facto authorities in one of Georgia’s two occupied regions has imposed visa regime for countries that refuse to recognise the breakaway territory as an independent state.
A Georgian citizen has been shot six times and killed by Russia's border guards patrolling the area between Georgia and breakaway Abkhazia region.
The de facto Prime Minister of Georgia’s western occupied Abkhazia region says the region does not plan on holding a referendum to join Russia.
Russian-controlled border guards monitoring the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia and one of its occupied regions have detained two Georgian men and accused them of illegally crossing the so-called border.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said the Abkhazian railway in the Russian-occupied Georgian territory “can be restored only when the country becomes reunited”.