A FULL-SCALE VISA REGIME BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA COMES INTO FORCE








MOSCOW, March 1, 2001. /RIA Novosti correspondent/-- A full-scale visa regime between Russia and Georgia was introduced on March 1. 


	Back in August last year Russia stated that it stopped its participation in the Bishkek agreement on the visa-free movement of citizens of CIS member-countries. Moscow informed Tbilisi that in conditions of the absence of a bilateral Russian-Georgian agreement and in compliance with its legislation it introduced a visa regime with Georgia, beginning with December 2000. 


	Later, the sides agreed to establish an easy regime for crossing the border till March 1, 2001 for the inhabitants of border territories, and also a visa-free trips for Russian military men serving on Georgian territory and for their family members. According to the official data, more than 200,000 citizens of Georgia live in Russia. Every year they send up to half a billion dollars to Georgia from Russia. This sum practically exceeds the country's annual budget by three times. 


	RIA Novosti has learned from diplomatic sources in Moscow that "certain progress has been achieved by the sides in restoring the visa-free regime" at the current Russian-Georgian  negotiations. However, "every point of the negotiations is being discussed for a long time."  As RIA Novosti was told in the Russian Foreign Ministry, the introduction of the visa regime did not pursue the aim of  deteriorating the relations between Russia and Georgia, or  creating artificial barriers for contacts between citizens of the two countries. Moscow was forced to take this measure which is connected with the necessity to raise the level of protection of Russian interests and its security at the southern border,  especially in connection with the events which started to develop in mid-2000. 


	Since the beginning of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya it has become clear that a great number of people were crossing the Russian southern border to take part in military  operations on the side of the Chechens. They were not only  Chechens but also mercenaries from other countries. In this  situation, Russia was forced to take additional measures on its border, adequate to the arisen situation. 


	At the same time, pointed out the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian side repeatedly underscored that it was not  interested in creating artificial difficulties for contacts between the two peoples. Russia has always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia; it favours the development of good-neighbour and mutually advantageous relations which would take into consideration the interests of the two states. -O-   (kos/kri)  01/03/01    16:51