Prepared by Messenger Staff
Papuashvili Says Turkey Visit Will Focus on Bilateral Ties and EU Relations
The Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili, said meetings during his upcoming visit to Turkey will focus on bilateral relations and broader political issues.
Speaking to journalists, he noted that he will attend the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul, where he plans to meet with parliamentary speakers from EU member states and other countries.
"We will talk about the unfortunate situation we are observing," Papuashvili said. "Unfortunately, Brussels is increasingly blocking dialogue and switching to the language of directives, which I think is wrong."
He added that discussions will also include Georgia's European integration and exchanges with counterparts from candidate countries. "As a candidate country, we will talk about the challenges they face, how the European integration process is going for them," he said, referring to a planned meeting with the Speaker of North Macedonia's parliament.
Papuashvili also criticized the EU's approach toward candidate states. "Brussels today creates more problems for the candidate countries than it supports and helps them on the path to European integration," he said, adding that direct communication with EU member state parliaments is important.
In addition to European counterparts, he said he will meet with representatives from Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to discuss economic ties and regional developments.
Parliament Adopts Amendments Introducing New C5 Visa Category
The Georgian Dream-led Parliament has approved amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons in a third reading with 72 votes.
The changes introduce a new C5 visa category. It will be a multiple-entry short-term visa issued for five years, allowing a total stay of up to one year in Georgia.
The C5 visa will apply to individuals entering Georgia for tourism who also carry out activities for a non-resident entity, provided those activities are related to work conducted outside Georgia. The visa will also be available to the applicant's spouse and minor children.
The amendments also replace the term "E-VISA PORTAL" in the law with "special website" and allow visa decisions to be issued under expedited procedures based on a government act.
In addition, refusal to issue a C5 visa can be based on state immigration policy, and such decisions will not be subject to appeal.
