Georgia’s Foreign Minister: “We fulfilled all visa obligations and more”
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Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has high expectations of an upcoming Council of Europe (CoE) report because the Ministry has fulfilled all its obligations necessary to gain a visa-free regime.
The CoE report, due to be released next week, will reflect the country’s efforts and actions to implement necessary points stated in the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), in order to be granted visa liberalisation with the European Union (EU).
Today Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said all technical works relating to Georgia’s visa liberalisation had been 100 percent met.
Now Georgia was waiting for the CoE report however Kvirikashvili stressed his "expectations are only positive” as support for Georgia’s EU visa-free regime had been voiced in the capital cities of several European countries.
We have worked hard in this regard, fulfilled all the obligations [outlined] in the VLAP and achieved progress even in areas that had not been demanded,” he said.
Kvrikashvili said if the CoE report was in Georgia’s favour, the country would begin a several-month-long process to gain European political approval for visa liberalistaion.
Each foreign minister from Eurozone countries should approve the report and then Parliament of Europe and the Council of Europe should give their consents for the practical implementation of visa free travel with the EU for Georgia,” Kvirikashvili stated.
The CoE report on Georgia will be released on Tuesday, December 15.
The European migrant crisis will not hamper Georgia’s visa liberalisation pace, says a European Union (EU) envoy in Georgia.
European Union (EU) top official Federica Mogherini hopes Georgia will soon receive "good news” about its visa liberaliation ambitions.
The European Union (EU) is planning to introduce visa free travel with Georgia and Ukraine by mid of 2016, reports German newspaper Die Welt citing an unidentified EU diplomat.
Estonia believes Georgia and the European Union (EU) will soon reach an agreement on visa free travel.
"It can be said with almost 99 percent certainty that a visa free regime will be introduced for Georgia next year,” believes Andrejs Mamikins, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Georgia.
Parliament of Georgia today adopted a statement that will be sent to relevant structures of the EU prior to the December 15 release of a Council of Europe (CoE) report whether Georgia had met all its obligations towards visa liberalisation with the EU.
The release of visa liberalisation progress reports for Georgia and Ukraine could be postponed. The documents were scheduled to be published tomorrow but the release stood under a question mark after a press briefing by one of the European Commission speakers earlier this afternoon.
The release of visa liberalisation progress reports for Georgia and Ukraine has been postponed but officials say the important document will be released before the end of the year. The European Union (EU) said the reports – due to be released today – had been delayed for "only technical reasons” and the reports will be published in the next two weeks.
The delay of Georgia’s visa liberalisation progress report had nothing to do with Georgia but was the fault of Ukraine, officials confirm. Kaljurand said Ukraine "has not filled all technical requirements but Georgia may expect a positive outcome”.
International United States-based daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal claims the Council of Europe (CoE) will release its visa liberalisation report for Georgia and Ukraine tomorrow.
A top European Union official accredited in Georgia has this afternoon revealed Georgia’s progress report on visa liberalisation with the European Union (EU) will be released tomorrow.
Georgia meets all the benchmarks of its Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), meaning in early 2016 the European Union (EU) will propose a legislative amendment to let Georgian citizens travel to the EU visa free.
The Government stressed the successful completion of its VLAP obligations was thanks to joint efforts by all state structures.
"Georgia has showed once again that it is a frontrunner of the Eastern Partnership. In response, Europe says that it is open to Georgian citizens." Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said.
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos has told Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili that Georgia was "very close to gain visa-liberalisation with the EU.”