Abkhazian MFA:EU visa waiver for Georgia doesn’t concern Abkhazia

EU visa waiver applies only to the citizens of Georgia and it doesn’t concern Abkhazia,” Abkhazian Foreign Ministry stressed in its statement, released on February 2.

Abkhazian diplomatic agency has thus responded to the Georgian Foreign Minister, Mikhail Janelidze’s statement, who said that ‘EU visa-free travel rules will also apply to the citizens of Georgia residing in the regions that are beyond the country’s government control–in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region (so-called South Ossetia).’

Abkhazian MFA termed Janelidze’s statement as ‘Tbilisi authorities’ another awkward attempt to ‘drag’ the residents of the Republic of Abkhazia into Georgia’s political and legal space.’

“After a major setback with the so-called ‘neutral passports’, Georgian authorities have apparently decided to use yet another lure for Abkhazian citizens in the form of visa liberalization with the EU member states,” Abkhazian Foreign Ministry’s statement reads.

Official Sukhumbelieves that a new attempt made by Tbilisi is a priori doomed to failure.

At the same time, Sukhum calls on Georgian leadership, if it’s really concerned about free movement of the Abkhazian citizens, to ‘give up on the policy of international isolation of our citizens’, who are not allowed to enter the EU countries through Tbilisi’ fault.

Abkhazian MFA also calls on the EU states to ‘refrain from supporting Georgia’s populist actions’ and take real measures for ‘de-isolation’ of the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia.

The opinions expressed in the article convey the author’s views and terminology and don’t necessarily reflect the position of the editorial staff.