Germany imposes restriction on reception of refugees from Georgia

Georgia has become a safe country; and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Germany will restrict the granting asylum to its citizens. Georgian officials see no threat to the visa-free travel regime in the context of the growing number of violations committed by its migrants in Germany.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens visiting Schengen zone countries came into effect on March 28, 2017. According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia can also visit the EU without visas under their Georgian passports.

The number of asylum-seekers from Georgia has increased dramatically, said Christian Kloss, the chief of staff of the Department for Migration, Refugees and Return Policy of the German MIA, in his interview with the "Rustavi 2" TV Channel.

Also on March 6, Georgia and Germany signed agreements to prevent illegal entry under the visa-free regime. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has explained that many Georgian citizens tried to re-enter the EU after changing surnames.

Ucha Nanuashvili, a former Georgia's Ombudsman, believes that it is too early to treat Georgia as a safe country, and recollected the case of Mikhail Saakashvili. He also pointed to the inadmissibility of discrimination, against which Georgian citizens sometimes ask protection in Europe.

People leave Georgia because of high unemployment, Nana Nazarova, the head of the Georgian NGO "Centre for Harmonious Human Development" has added.

"Quite a lot of people, namely, 220,000, have taken advantage of visa liberalization; this is a great success," Mikhail Djanelidze, the head of the Georgian MFA, has added, as quoted by the "Rustavi 2" TV Channel.