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Crisis in Russian-Georgian relations

Visa-free regime for Georgian citizens explained by dialogue of peoples — Kremlin

"Interstate relations are one thing, but humanitarian relations, when it comes to dialogue between the peoples of the two countries, are another," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Sergey Karpukhin/TASS

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Sergey Karpukhin/TASS

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision on a visa-free regime for all Georgian citizens is due to humanitarian relations between the two countries, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Interstate relations are one thing, but humanitarian relations, when it comes to dialogue between the peoples of the two countries, [are] another," the spokesman told reporters.

Peskov pointed out that this dialogue has not been interrupted. "We have a fairly large Georgian diaspora, our tourists go there, this is a normal process," he emphasized.

Earlier, Putin's decree was published, according to which there are no more exceptions to the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens.

Russia introduced a visa regime for Georgian citizens in 2000. In May 2023, the Russian president signed a decree abolishing this regime, but the document maintained the visa requirement for those entering Russia "for the purpose of labor activity or for a period of more than 90 days for temporary stay in Russia, including for the purpose of education." The new document allows visa-free entry for all citizens of Georgia, with no exceptions for any category. The visa regime for Russians from Georgia was abolished in 2012.

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Foreign policy Dmitry Peskov

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