Tbilisi promises Georgian citizens of Abkhazia, South Ossetia visa-free regime with EU

Published Feb. 2, 2017 at 2:22 pm

Members of Georgian NGOs, waving national flags of Georgia, take part in a rally against what they claim is a "de facto annexation" by Russia of the Georgian territories, in the village of Khurtaveli, close to Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, on July 17, 2015.

Photo by AFP

TBILISI – Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze at a special briefing on Feb. 2 congratulated all citizens on the decision made by the European Parliament to grant a visa-free regime with the EU to the republic.

“We have seen definite support of Georgia in the European Parliament. We are ready to continue the efforts to become closer to Europe,” Janelidze said.

The visa-free regime will also apply to residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, he said.

“Visa liberalization will also be available to our citizens who live in the occupied territories. We want visa liberalization and we want all decisions on our integration in Europe to be as accessible to residents of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as possible,” Janelidze said.