Georgia classified as safe origin country by German Gov’t - Ambassador
Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia, said his Government had classified Georgia as a country of safe origin. Photo: Gov't Administration
Tweet 
Share
Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia, on Friday said his Government had classified Georgia as a country of safe origin, leading to Georgian citizens seeking asylum in Germany having to prove they are being persecuted or having their individual and human rights violated in their home country.
[This] means that it is a country where citizens are not systematically persecuted based on politics, race, gender and other characteristics. Now this proposal is going through our Parliament and will soon become a law”, Fischer said.
Local media outlet Interpressnews cited Fischer as saying asylum seekers would have to leave Germany if their requests were rejected, leading to their deportation if they failed to follow the regulation.
The reason behind this is that Georgia is one of the countries that have a high rate of asylum requests in Germany, but [...] the recognition rate [for requests] is very low [at] less than two percent”, he said.
The diplomat also noted the number of Georgian nationals visiting Germany through the “legal way” of seeking work or stay.
Fischer also added his Government was seeking to “make our asylum system more manageable” and added the initiative was “not only about Georgia” as “we have people from all over the world seeking asylum”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday discussed the positive decision of the European Commission to recommend the European Council to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status.
Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday inspected projects being implemented in western Georgia through development cooperation between the two countries.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday said Georgia and Moldova were classified as safe countries of origin, adding it was “not plausible” to assume “systemic oppression” in the two states.
In total 97,663 Georgian citizens have registered for a seasonal employment programme in Germany, while there are only 5,000 vacancies available at this stage, reports the State Employment Promotion Agency.
The German Bundesrat on Friday recognised Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin, leading to a rapid procession of asylum seeker applications from the countries and effective reduction of illegal migration.
Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister of the Interior and Community of Germany, on Monday arrived in Georgia with first official visit to the country.
The Georgian and German interior ministers on Tuesday signed an agreement on migration and mobility between the states in Tbilisi with the primary objective to strengthen cooperation for labour migration and education.
Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri on Tuesday highlighted the importance of Georgia being recognised as a safe country in its pursuit of European Union membership, after the German Bundesrat’s decision to assign the status to Georgia.