UNM urges to restrict Russians' stay in Georgia

The stay of Russian tourists in Georgia should be cut down to one month and oblige them to confirm while crossing the border that they recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia, Levan Khabeishvili, one of the leaders of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 2, the oppositional "Lelo" Party claimed that Georgian authorities should introduce a visa regime for citizens of Russia and Belarus.

The oppositional UNM has called on the Ministry of Justice to limit the sale of real estate to Russian citizens and control those who come from the Russian Federation, the "News-Georgia" wrote on August 12.

According to Levan Khabeishvili, who is also an MP from the UNM, over the past six months, Russian citizens have bought 3245 real estate objects in Georgia; and up to 16,000 Russians have received residence permits in Georgia; and more than 6500 have registered their businesses. "These people have no restrictions; and we don't know if they violate the law on occupation or not," the MP has stated.

The opposition has suggested to limit the stay of tourists from Russia in Georgia to one month, limit their chances of buying real estate and doing business, and also oblige Russian citizens while crossing the border to confirm that they recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia, the "Kommersant" informs.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 13, 2022 at 05:48 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.