Georgian Interior Minister, Belgian Asylum and Migration State Secretary discuss EU/Schengen visa-free travel for Georgian citizens
The officials highlighted the “political and practical importance” of visa-free travel in the process of Georgia’s European integration path. Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs
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Questions related to visa-free travel of Georgian citizens to the European Union/Schengen Area were discussed on Monday in a meeting between the Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Nicole de Moor, the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration of Belgium.
The officials highlighted the “political and practical importance” of visa-free travel in the process of Georgia’s European integration path, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
Gomelauri provided “detailed information” regarding measures undertaken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for successful continuation of the visa-free travel for the country’s citizens and ongoing reforms.
On her part, de Moor “positively” assessed the successful activities undertaken by the Georgian Government, in particular the “effective” implementation of the Exit Control mechanism, which contributes to the prevention of abuse of the visa-free travel by Georgian citizens.
De Moor also underlined the importance of cooperation between the Georgian MIA and respective EU agencies for the successful continuation of the system.
The two officials also reviewed the “successful” law enforcement cooperation between the two countries, as well as prospects of future cooperation.
Georgia marked the fifth anniversary of its visa-free travel agreement with the European Union on Monday. Five years ago on this day, the regulation lifting visa requirements for Georgians to travel to the EU and Schengen Area states entered into effect.
Visa-free travel with the European Union has been a “vital” and “tangible benefit” for Georgian citizens, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, said on Monday on the fifth anniversary of the country’s travel agreement with the EU and the Schengen Area countries.
Georgian law enforcement has strengthened its international cooperation during the five years of visa-free travel with the European Union, the Interior Ministry of Georgia said on Monday.
Georgia’s Government did “a lot of work” to achieve visa-free travel with the European Union for its citizens, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at Monday’s Government meeting on the fifth anniversary of the agreement.
Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze and Nicole de Moor, the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration of Belgium, on Monday noted the need for continued cooperation for honing procedures related to visa-free travel to European Union/Schengen Area for Georgian citizens, as well as for ensuring accurate information against “fake news” over the matter.
Georgian interior minister Vakhtang Gomelauri on Tuesday rejected the local media claim that said 250,000 individuals from Russia had entered the Georgian territory over the last five days since the announcement of the partial military mobilisation in Russia as a “lie”.