Russia ready to continue working on facilitation of visa regime for Georgian citizens

Russia is ready to continue working on facilitation of visa regime for Georgian citizens, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Gregory Karasin said, the Sputnik news agency reported.

He made the remarks after meeting with Zurab Abashidze, Georgian PM’s Special Representative for Relations with Russia.

“The Russian side expressed readiness for continuing working on visa liberalization for Georgian citizens”, said the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Gregory Karasin and Zurab Abashidze held a meeting in Prague Nov.19.

Russia introduced a visa regime with Georgia in December 2000, due to the threat of intrusion into its territory of terrorists from the Pankisi Gorge (valley region in Georgia).

However, later, Moscow significantly liberalized the visa issuing procedure for Georgian citizens. Georgia cancelled the visa regime for Russian citizens Feb.29, 2012.

Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after the latter recognized the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions - Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Tskhinvali region) in August of 2008.

Representatives of Georgia’s new government stated that normalization of relations with Russia is one of the top priorities of the country’s foreign policy, adding that this process shouldn’t be to the detriment of the principle of Georgia’s territorial integrity.

/By Trend/