About Civil.ge
Eng | Geo | Rus
Last updated: 10:55 - 1 May.'18
RSS
Mobile
Twitter
Facebook
Saakashvili: 'Let's Recruit Lavrov as Tourist Agent, He Advertises Georgia Well'
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 20 Apr.'12 / 12:54

By advising its citizens not to travel to Georgia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in fact advertising Georgia and deserves “a tourist agent’s salary” from Tbilisi, President Saakashvili said on April 19.

“Hotels are full of Russian tourists. More Lavrov advises [Russians] not to travel to Georgia, the more [Russians] are arriving. Maybe we should recruit Lavrov as a tourist agent, shouldn’t we?” Saakashvili told Education Minister Dimitri Shashkin jokingly when visiting a new vocational school in Kobuleti on April 19. “Planes are packed by Russians; they all are aware of Lavrov’s statements, but they are coming into Georgia with even more pleasure. So give Lavrov a travel agent’s salary; he is making a good advertisement for Georgia.”

On April 12 the Russian Foreign Ministry recommended its citizens “to refrain from traveling” to Georgia because of “absence of security” for the Russian citizens, citing Georgia’s law on occupied territories, which bans entry into breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia from territories other than those controlled by Tbilisi. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that since February three citizens of Russia had been subject to criminal persecution upon arrival in Georgia for violating Georgia’s law on occupied territories.

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting foreign minister of breakaway Abkhazia in Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 17, that “visiting Georgia is not safe”, citing the same law on occupied territories.

Georgia says, that after its decision in late February to unilaterally lift visa requirements for the Russian citizens, number of visits from Russia increased significantly. Russia said it would consider reciprocating with lifting visa rules for Georgian citizens if Tbilisi revised its law on occupied territories. Tbilisi responded that Moscow should reciprocate without putting any preconditions.

Latest News
01 May.'18 10:55
We Have Moved to a New Platform
Direct Your Bookmarks to https://civil.ge.
29 Apr.'18 03:54
Ruling Party Candidate Wins MP By-Elections
Givi Chichinadze will represent Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency in the Parliament of Georgia.
28 Apr.'18 09:40
Polls Open for Vani and Khoni MP By-Elections
48,123 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency.
27 Apr.'18 17:23
State Dept’s Europe Affairs Point Man to Visit Tbilisi
Wess Mitchell will meet senior government officials and address the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum.
27 Apr.'18 13:45
In Quotes: Georgian Politicians on Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Comeback
Bidzina Ivanishvili will be approved as the Georgian Dream party chairman at the upcoming convention.
26 Apr.'18 18:15
SG Jens Stoltenberg: Georgia NATO’s ‘Very Close’ Partner
The NATO Secretary General says Foreign Ministers meeting tomorrow will recognize the country’s progress.
26 Apr.'18 14:24
Ex-PM Ivanishvili to Chair Georgian Dream Party
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Ivanishvili was ‘best equipped’ to add new dynamism to the party.
26 Apr.'18 11:12
Lawmaker Proposes Criminal Liability for ‘Insult of Religious Feelings’
The parliamentary human rights committee decided to set up a working group for scrutinizing the draft law.
25 Apr.'18 17:21
New Abkhaz Government Head Appointed
Gennady Gagulia has served as the Abkhaz “prime minister” twice - in 1995-1997, and 2002-2003.
25 Apr.'18 14:43
Watchdog Improves Georgia’s Press Freedom Ranking
None of the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltics) are ranked ahead of Georgia.

About Civil Georgia
Civil.Ge © 2001-2025, Daily News Online
Registered office: 2 Dolidze Str, 4-th Floor.
25