Georgia will launch visa free travel with Iran

UPDATED: 5.57pm 

Georgia will introduce visa-free travel for Iranian citizens by February 15. 

Iran’s Deputy Ambassador to Georgia Mohsen Kebriayi told local media plans were in place to cancel the of visa requirements for Iranians to enter Georgia by the beginning of next week.

He believed this decision would boost relations between the two countries.

Iranian media reported Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani welcomed the removal of visa requirements from the Georgian side. 

Rouhani said Georgia could be the corridor for Iran's transactions with the Black Sea coastal states. 

EARLIER: 1.41am

Georgia is forging closer ties with Iran by abolishing its visa rules and introducing visa free travel with Iran.

A short time ago the Georgian Prime Minister’s press centre announced Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili held a phone conversation with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani earlier this evening, February 8, 2016.

The statement noted PM Kvirikashvili initiated the phone call.

The two leaders discussed the close cultural relations of the two nations as well as ways to deepen tourism cooperation.

In this regard, Georgia will take concrete step to cancel its visa regime with Iran,” read the statement.

There was no information on the date of cancellation.

Georgian citizens are able to travel to Iran without a visa for 45 days. Currently Iranian citizens need a visa to travel to Georgia but the new initiative will allow Iranian citizens to travel to Georgia for a set period of time without one.

"Economic and cultural cooperation between Iran and Georgia should be further strengthened in line with the two nations’ interests,” Rouhani said in the telephone conversation with Georgia’s PM, reported Iranian Press TV.

The leaders also discussed trade and economic relations of two countries and stressed there was big potential to enhance bilateral relations.

The Georgian Prime Minister congratulated the Iranian President about the recent lifting of nuclear-related sanctions by the United States and the European Union.

In the phone call the Georgian and Iranian leaders also spoke about the recent developments in the region and the importance of regional development for local and international safety.