Georgia deserves visa-liberalisation, Slovak officials say
By Messenger staff
Monday, November 16
“Georgia deserves visa-liberalization with the European Union (EU),” Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico said when meeting his Georgian counterpart severdal days ago in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The Slovak PM stressed that his country supported Georgia attaining visa-free travel as well as the country’s NATO membership ambitions.
“I consider visa liberalisation for Georgia as entirely fair,” PM Fico said. “I see no reason for creating obstacles for people – be it from business, culture or sports – to undergo the difficult, strenuous Schengen visa application procedure.”
“I am saying this openly in the light of recent inflow of hundreds of thousands of migrants, who are flooding Europe now without any identification documents or visas,” Fico said.
In response, Georgia’s PM thanked his counterpart for his country’s continual support to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Georgia’s striving towards assimilation with the Euro-Atlantic space.
Prior to the meeting, with the members of the Georgian delegation, Garibahsvili met with the Speaker of the National Council of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, where the sides discussed the prospects of the two countries’ cooperation in the fields of politics, economics and culture.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili, Agriculture Minister Otar Danelia and Georgia’s Ambassador to Slovakia Alexander Nalbandov also attended the meeting.
In the political-economic aspect the two countries’ officials deeply discussed the benefits of Georgia’s signing of the Association Agreement (AA) with the European Union (EU) and the importance of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU states, the Georgian PM’s press service read.
“The sides also spoke about the significance of the visa-liberation with the EU for Georgia and it was mentioned that providing Georgia with the right would be the EU’s clear demonstration of support and the best outcome of the Georgian reforms,” the Press Service added.
The Georgian Government’s Press Centre announced that various documents have been signed between the two countries’ governments within the one day visit.
In particular, agreements of cooperation were signed in the combating of crime, the illegal transporting of people and goods between Slovakia and Georgia, as well as on the readmission of illegal immigrants.
