Lavrov’s stance on South Caucasus as insecure place not applicable to Georgia, says Georgian envoy

Georgia’s special envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze has taken a stand against Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent statement that the situation in the South Caucasus was not secure, impeding prospects of Russia granting visa-free entry to Georgia citizens any time soon.

About a million Russians visited Georgia last year, Abashidze argued. “Foreign tourists feel very comfortable in Georgia, because the quality of security in our country is high, which is something numerous studies by international organizations have confirmed,” he said. “This is to say Lavrov’s words that the South Caucasus is becoming a transit route for militants, terrorists and extremists are in no way applicable to Georgia.”

In a speech on the sidelines of the international Munich Security Conference on February 18, Russian foreign minister Lavrov said it was “a bit odd” to have to discuss the prospects of visa-free movement between the countries at a time when their diplomatic relations remained suspended. “Besides, there are some security considerations to be taken into account now that the South Caucasus, like the Central Asia, is becoming a route used by militants and extremists.”

• Russia imposed visa requirements on Georgia in 2001. The regulations did not affect Abkhazia and South Ossetia (and, for a short time in 2004, Georgia’s Black Sea coast region Ajara). Georgia responded by restricting entry for Russian nationals.

• In 2002, Russia started issuing Russian passports to residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Today, over 90 percent of the two territories’ populations are citizens of the Russian Federation.

• In 2008, Georgia severed its diplomatic contacts with Russia, in protest against Moscow’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

• In 2010, Georgia granted up to 90 days of visa-free access to its territory to residents of Russia’s North Caucasus. Residents of other Russian regions were allowed to obtain visas upon entering Georgia.

• In February of 2012, Georgia lifted visa requirements for all citizens of the Russian Federation.

• In December of 2015, Russia eased its entry regulations to allow Georgia nationals to obtain entry visas of any type (except for a tourism visa) based on an invitation letter from any Russian citizen, therewith cancelling the previous arrangement where the invitation could only be extended by a close relative.

• At a press conference in December of 2016, president Vladimir Putin said a visa waiver for Georgian citizens was possible.