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.