Israel and Georgia discuss visa-free travel

Israel and Georgia discuss visa-free travel


Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza


A week ago the deputy foreign minister of Israel, Ze’ev Elkin, met Georgian Premier Bidzina Ivanishvili in Tbilisi. The main topic of the meeting was discussion of visa-free travel for tourists. The press service of the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that “other important questions of relations between the countries were discussed at the meeting,” but it didn’t give any details.

Elkin came to Tbilisi to participate in a unique workshop for Israeli diplomats. The head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Department for Central Europe and Eurasia, Anna Azari, ambassadors of Israel in Tbilisi, Baku, Astana and Ashkhabad and several employees of the Foreign Ministry who deal with the South Caucasus and Central Asia came to the workshop. The aim of the event was to provide an opportunity to learn about the Caspian Region and the countries which border Iran and China. The Israeli Foreign Ministry thinks that many its employees still have a poor knowledge of the region, which is very important for Israel’s foreign policy.

As for launching visa-free travel between Israel and Georgia, for the first time the question arose during the recent visit by Ivanishvili to Israel – due to a tourist boom from Israel to Georgia and from Georgia to Israel. However, several months ago the Israeli Interior Ministry strictly resisted scrapping visa arrangements, fearing that Georgian tourists would stay in Israel as illegal labour migrants.

During the meeting in Tbilisi the deputy foreign minister informed the Georgian Premier that he had obtained agreement from the head of the Israeli Internal Minister, Gideon Saar, on sowing away with the current visa regulations; this would enable the sides to start serious negotiations on the issue. Elkin also met the internal minister of Georgia and discussed a schedule of future talks on a visa-free regime.

It is unclear whether future visa-free travel will affect tourists both from Israel and Georgia or not. If visa restrictions are lifted, Georgia will be the third country after Russia and Ukraine in the post-Soviet space, which Israeli citizens can visit without visas.

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