Georgia to introduce a visa-waiver program for North Caucasian residents

Georgia will introduce a visa-waiver regime for the citizens of the North Caucasus, News-Georgia reports, referring to Nino Kalandadze, the Deputy to the Georgian Foreign Minister.

"This decision concerns the residents of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Adygea," Nino Kalandadze explained. Kalandadze noted that the residents of the North Caucasian republics had unequal opportunities compared with the residents of the rest of the Russian Federation, because they needed to obtain visas from the Swiss embassy in Moscow in order to cross the Kazbegi - Upper Lars checkpoint on the Georgian-Russian border. "According to this decree, they will be able to stay in Georgia without a visa for 30 days," said the deputy minister.