Donald Tusk: EU opens its borders to Georgia
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President of the European Council Donald Tusk said today is a special day as visa free regime for Georgian citizens to the European Union (EU) has entered into force.
Tusk believes Georgia has done great job so that this long journey has "brought us closer together” as well as help reform and develop Georgia.
He took to Twitter to congratulate the Georgian nation in the Georgian language.
á¨ááááá ááá¦á¬áá£ááá. áááááááá á£áááá ááááá¡áááá¡ á¡áá¥áá áááááá¡áááá¡ áá áááá ááááááá£á ááá áááá¡, á ááááá᪠ááááá ááááá¡ áá¡á á£áááá¡ #VisaFree@KvirikashviliGipic.twitter.com/XCKgxnpPym
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) March 28, 2017
In his speech Tusk denounced the recent developments in Russian-occupied regions of Georgia - Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) especially closure of crossing-points.
I know in this context why the EU is opening its borders to Georgia: you have a neighbor who assists in creating new borders to limit your freedom even inside your sovereign country”, Tuks said reaffirming the EU’s support towards Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and commitment to peaceful resolution of conflict in Georgia.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili arrived in Brussels, Belgium today within his first historic visa free flight to Europe.
He said "the visa-free regime is a landmark accomplishment, which is going to bring tangible benefits to our citizens and be a strong incentive for further achievements towards EU integration”.
You can listen to the press statements by President Tusk and Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili below:
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hosted his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Kvirikashvili, stating it was an honour for him that Greece had been chosen as his first visa-free destination.
Today is a day Georgians have awaited for years. A number of international leaders have taken to Twitter to share their happiness for Georgia. Some of them even issued a congratulatory video message in Georgian.
From now on, Georgian citizens no longer need a visa to travel to the Schengen Zone. The regulation lifting visa requirements for Georgians entered into effect today, Tuesday, March 28.
Agenda.ge’s team of journalists will be some of the first Georgian citizens to cross the EU border without a visa requirement early tomorrow morning.
President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker says that March 28 was a great success for both Georgia and the European Union (EU).
Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis visited a family living behind a barbed wire fence near Russian-occupied region of Georgia - Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) today.
A large street banner has been installed near the Vilnius Airport to warmly greet first guests from Georgia who travel to Lithuania visa-free. The bilingual banner says in English and Georgian: "Closer than ever.”
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili is paying his first visa-free visit to Lithuania with Georgian citizens with Abkhazian and Ossetian origin today.
United States Senators Roger Wicker and Ben Cardin submitted a resolution supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia yesterday.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili will participate in the upcoming Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit in Brussels, Belgium tomorrow on November 24. Having left to Brussels today, PM Kvirikashvili met with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who praised Georgia as a reliable and exemplary EU partner.
Leaders from the EU member states and the six Eastern Partner countries have convened in Brussels today for the fifth Eastern Partnership summit. The event aims to deepen ties between the EU and Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.
The President of the European Council Donald Tusk says the accomplishment of the visa-free regime and the increase in bilateral trade are some of the most visible examples of solid and expanding cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Georgia over the past year.
Almost a year ago, visa-free travel regulations for Georgian citizens traveling to the European Union (EU) went into force. Welcoming the special anniversary at a government session this morning, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said this is one of the country’s greatest achievements.
Within a year of the Georgia-EU visa free agreement, 192,453 Georgian citizens have visited the Schengen Zone 258,663 times, the Georgian Interior Ministry reports. Deputy Interior Minister Nino Javakhadze stated that in total 1,001 Georgians were refused entry into the EU passport-free zone.
This time last year, a small Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili left for a historic trip on which Georgians travelled visa-free for the first time to the European Union (EU).
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has spoken about Russia’s illegalities on Georgian territory and reaffirmed Georgia’s commitment to European values during a press conference with the European Council President Donald Tusk today in Brussels.
Head of the Georgian Parliament’s EU Integration Committee Tamar Khulordava says that since March 28, 2017, when Georgians were permitted to travel visa-free to the EU’s Schengen Zone, 255,429 Georgian citizens have used the opportunity.