Interior Minister: state border “under control”, entry rate of Russian citizens lower than 2019
In his comments, Gomelauri said the state border was “controlled at a very high level” by the Ministry and the State Security Service. According to Gomelauri, the Georgian side has recently tightened border controls, which resulted in a refusal of entry to 180 foreign citizens. Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs
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About 20,000 Russian citizens have entered Georgia since February 24, compared to 40,000 in the same period in 2019, Vakhtang Gomelauri, the Interior Minister of Georgia, said on Wednesday in response to rumours about “unprecedented level” influx of Russian citizens into Georgia over the recent days on the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In his comments, Gomelauri said the state border was “controlled at a very high level” by the Ministry and the State Security Service. According to Gomelauri, the Georgian side has recently tightened border controls, which resulted in a refusal of entry to 180 foreign citizens.
The security environment in the country “is under full control”, the SSS said in a statement recently, adding it was actively taking “all necessary measures” together with relevant agencies to minimise possible risks and challenges related to the movement across the border.
The security body also noted the number of people entering the country over the recent days did not exceed visitor trends of the same period from previous years.