Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said during a briefing that it is necessary to convene the Security Council to discuss the introduction of a visa regime for Russians. She isquoted by RIA Novosti.
“I call on the Georgian authorities to convene the Security Council to discuss the visa regime for Russians. It is necessary to introduce three-month visas for those Russian citizens who come and stay in Georgia.”
According to the president, the abolition of the visa regime by Russia will cause political tension in the republic.
Earlier, on May 10, Putin by two decrees lifted the ban on direct flights to Georgia, and from May 15, 2023, he canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens, with the exception of those who enter the Russian Federation for the purpose of work. The President of Georgia called the decrees a “provocation”, noting that direct flights and the abolition of the visa regime with Georgia are unacceptable while the Russian Federation continues its aggression in Ukraine and occupies the territory of Georgia.
Over 700,000 Russians entered Georgia in 2022. In September, when Vladimir Putin introduced "partial" mobilization in Russia, 163,192 people left for Georgia. For Russians, there is a visa-free regime, with a tourist purpose you can enter with a passport. Citizens of Georgia for trips to the Russian Federation had to issue visas.