Interior Ministry marks "strengthened" law enforcement cooperation on visa-free travel anniversary
Marking the date, the Interior Ministry said police attachés from Georgia in 11 EU countries covered 19 EU and Schengen Area states, in addition to work of the state body's liaison officers to Europol and NATO. Photo: By Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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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.
Marking the date, the Interior Ministry said police attachés from Georgia in 11 EU countries covered 19 EU and Schengen Area states, in addition to work of the state body's liaison officers to Europol and NATO.
The Ministry also said it had signed international cooperation agreement with 17 EU member states, and added the efforts of the body in the fight against crime, the activities of police attachés, the successful cooperation with Frontex and Europol and the successful implementation of the readmission agreement were also positively assessed by its European partners.
The Ministry added the EU welcomed amendments to the Law of Georgia on the Rules of Departure and Entry of Georgian Citizens that stipulated checks for Schengen Area visa-free travel at the Georgian border crossing since January 1, 2021.
The visa-free travel with the European Union is a “wonderful opportunity for enhancing people-to-people contacts”, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani tweeted on Monday on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the agreement with the EU.
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.
Four years ago on this day the regulation lifting visa requirements for Georgians to travel to the European Union entered into effect.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani says any information that European Union is suspending the visa-free regime with Georgia is ‘a big lie’. “Georgia is fulfilling all of its obligations and no suspension mechanism will enter into force”, he says.
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.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday marked the 28th anniversary of the Georgian Special State Protection Service with messages of gratitude to current and former professionals of the agency.
Friendly relations and cooperation between Georgia and Germany were discussed by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Steffen Russ, the director of the German Federal Police Protection Service on Monday, the Georgian Government Administration said.
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.
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.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili on Friday marked the 29th anniversary of the Georgian Special State Protection Service with messages of gratitude to current and former professionals of the agency.