Georgia, Iran Visa Free Deal to be Refined
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, Decemer 27
Georgia and Iran have agreed to refine several provisions of the visa-free deal signed in 2011 in order to avoid violations and illegal crossing of the Georgian border.
The statement of the Georgian Foreign Ministry came after negative statements of both Georgians and Iranians.
The complaints by Iranian nationals concerned Georgia’s refusals to allow dozens of Iranians into Georgia, while many in Georgian social networks stated that the drug trafficking from Iran to Georgia has increased and Iranian companies have been involved in illegal money-related transfers and issues.
A couple of days before the meeting of Georgian and Iranian representatives in the Georgian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday Alireza Rahimi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, said that Iran may revise the visa-free travel agreement with Georgia if the issue of deportation of Iranian citizens or their entry into Georgia is not resolved.
"If Georgia does not fulfill the terms of the 2011 agreement and refuses to implement them, our country may revise this agreement," said the Iranian parliamentarian.
Georgia and Iran have agreed to refine provisions in the Georgia-Iran visa-free deal to decrease the cases of misusing the agreement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.
The announcement came after the meeting of Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandre Khvtisiashvili with the ambassador of Iran to Georgia and the representatives of the Iranian delegation chaired by the head of the consular department of the Foreign Ministry of Iran.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry claimed that the issues when Iranian citizens violated border-crossing rules were frequently due to “a lack of information” and there was a need for an information campaign for Iranian citizens regarding the Georgia-Iran visa-free agreement.
“It has been agreed with the representation of Iran that through the cooperation with the Georgia government, information materials will be made regarding the crossing of the Georgian border, regulations concerning business activities, medical treatment or receiving an education in Georgia. The Iranian government will spread the information via its state agencies and organizations,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry says.
Georgia and Iran signed a visa-free agreement in November 2010 and the deal came into force in January 2011 which allowed visa-free travel for up to 45 days for both Georgian and Iranian citizens.
The deal was temporarily suspended in 2013 under the Georgian Dream leadership which caused controversies in Iran. The deal was restored in 2016.
