09 March 2011, 20:00
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is trying to evacuate Georgian sailors from Libya
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is doing its best to evacuate six Georgian sailors from Libya, Nicoloz Vashakidze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, reported.
"We have a contract with them. They went to Libya before the latest events and stayed there on their own free will. As far as we know they are currently having problems with getting salary. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with different variants and various countries for them to be able to leave Libya", Vashakidze said.
Six Georgian sailors demand evacuation from Libya, "Novosti-Georgia" reports.
Anton Kurasvili, one of the sailors, said in a telephone interview that the territory of Misurata sea-port was fired upon by heavy artillery and the sailors' lives were in danger. He also said that the sailors had not yet been able to get their due salary. Until some time past the sailors were staying on board "Vasiliosa" vessel waiting for offset of the salary debt.
At the end of February the information was made public that the sailors refused returning home on their own free will. "Before the complication of the situation in Libya we had suggested our citizens to return to Georgia with the help of collaboration with the authorities, however they refused on their own accord not wishing to leave the ship at that moment", Nino Kalandadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, said at a briefing.
According to her, in spite of the fact and taking into account the complex situation in Libya, the official Tbilisi got down to the problem of the sailors' return again and is negotiating with several states: Great Britain, France, Poland on the matter, GHN reports.
