Cyprus grants ‘safe country’ status to Georgia
Cyprus is now the 13th European country to grant Georgia the status of a safe country. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Cyprus has added Georgia to the list of safe countries.
Cyprus is now the 13th country in the EU/Schengen zone to put Georgia on the safe country list.
The other countries that listed Georgia as a safe country are Bulgaria, France, Lichtenstein, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Iceland, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Putting Georgia on the safe country least is a demonstration of the country’s political stability, economic development and positive environment for human rights protection and safety.
The decision made by Cyprus is yet another proof that Georgia, with its human rights protection and democratic standards, as well as overall political environment and safety, is considered as a country where no oppression of citizens takes place and people are protected from any possible prosecution,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry stated.
The representative of Georgian Foreign Ministry, Vladimer Konstantinidi said there are around 500 Georgians legally staying in Cyprus nowadays, while up to 3,000 are not included in the official consular registry.
He said, following this decision, Georgian asylum-seekers’ applications will be examined in an accelerated mode.
The Czech Interior Ministry has decided to put Georgia on the list of safe countries. The resolution has already taken effect.
The German Bundestag has declared Georgia a safe country on January 18, meaning that Georgians will not be eligible to seek asylum in Germany.
Luxembourg has added Georgia to the list of safe countries. The local immigration service has studied the current situation in Georgia and defined that the county has all the necessary preconditions for being defined as safe.
Iceland has added Georgia to the list of safe countries.
Slovenia has added Georgia to the list of safe countries of origin, joining the other 13 countries in the EU/Schengen zone to do the same. Putting Georgia on the safe country list is a demonstration of the country’s political stability, economic development and positive environment for human rights protection and safety.
From October 1, Switzerland will add Georgia to its list of safe countries, joining the other 14 countries in the EU/Schengen zone to do the same.
Police in Cyprus have detained 17 Georgian citizens for illegally staying in the country.
The Greek government has put Georgia on its safe country list, joining the other 15 EU/Schengen zone countries to do the same.
The Greek police have detained a 36-year-old Georgian citizen for transporting 13 Afghan illegal migrants without driver’s license. Local media report that the Afghan migrants did not have the necessary documents to stay in Greece legally.
Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Georgia's Ambassador to the European Union, on Tuesday said Belgium’s decision to remove Georgia from its list of safe countries was “subject to change” and posed “no threats” to visa-free travel for Georgian nationals.