Foreign Ministry says Georgia-Turkey visa-free regulations unchanged until talks are over

Georgia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Janelidze has stated that Georgia and Turkey will have the same visa free regulations until the consultations over the issue are completed.

The minister made the statement in response to a rally in Georgia’s western coastal Sarpi region yesterday, where Georgian citizens claimed they will lose jobs in Turkey due to new regulations adopted by the Government of Turkey.

The regulations which came into play from January 1, 2018 read that if an individual crosses the Turkish border for several hours and returns back, the time spent in the country is calculated as one full day and is deducted from the 90-day total term of legal stay in the country allowed for by the visa free regime.

Georgians who have to cross the border on a daily basis for jobs or other reasons to Turkey are against the change as earlier, crossing the border for less than 24 hours was not deducted from the 90-day term.

As soon as crossing the border for several hours is calculated as one full day for us, the 90-day period will expire soon and we will have to receive a residency permit, which is complicated,” the protesters said.

Janelidze stated that Georgian and Turkish interior ministers have had a phone conversation and agreed that Georgia will enjoy the same regulations as earlier until the end of consultations.

The new border regulations of Turkey concern all foreign nationals.