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Georgian President calls for Security Council meeting to discuss visas for Russians

On Wednesday, the Russian president signed a decree on lifting visa requirements for Georgian citizens starting on May 15

TBILISI, May 10. /TASS/. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called on the government to hold a National Security Council meeting to discuss the visa regime for Russian nationals.

"I have demanded this repeatedly, and now is definitely the time for the Security Council to convene and discuss the introduction of three-month visas [for Russian nationals - TASS], a necessity, considering our internal challenges," Zourabichvili said during a briefing Wednesday.

According to Zourabichvili, "tighter controls" on Russian citizens entering Georgia and staying there are necessary.

"We are a very tolerant country, we accept everyone, and that has been evident for more than a year. But there are things that must not happen in the country. We cannot allow Russian-speaking kindergartens to be opened without compulsory equal teaching of the Georgian language to children who live in Georgia today," Zourabichvili said.

The president underscored that it is also necessary to introduce "certain measures for representatives of certain professions, i.e. licensing for taxi drivers or guides, for example, as well as representatives of numerous other professions." According to Zourabichvili, such measures towards Russian nationals will contribute to "protecting society" and will be a "correct response" to the cancellation of the visa regime for Georgian citizens by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree. She also noted that now is not the right time to "begin new relations with Russia," because it may complicate the country’s defense against allegations that it is circumventing the EU’s anti-Russian sanctions.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on lifting visa requirements for Georgian citizens starting on May 15. A second decree canceled restrictions on Russian airlines and travel companies to fly and sell tours to Georgia.

The visa regime with Georgia was introduced in 2000, at the initiative of Russian authorities. Meanwhile, Georgia canceled its visa requirements for Russians in 2012. Under Georgian law, Russian citizens may visit the country without a visa and stay there for up to one year. Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Russia after Moscow recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.

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