Imedi /  28 March 2024, 21:08 / Reliable source

Parliament Speaker: visa-free travel with EU opened new horizons, brought eye-opening opportunities for Georgian citizens

Shalva Papuashvili

Shalva Papuashvili

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday celebrated the seventh anniversary of visa-free travel with the European Union by saying that the date “reminds us of all our achievements on the EU path”.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that many expected a “mass exodus” from Georgia but “the visa-free travel only opened new horizons and brought eye-opening opportunities for our citizens”.

“Now, after a decade of Georgian Dream’s consistent progress towards the EU, inclusive of the EU candidate country status [...] We've established visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel agreements with numerous nations, most recently with China, and are steadfastly engaged in fostering similar partnerships with other countries to deliver tangible benefits to our citizens”, Papuashvili said.

The chief Georgian legislator also added that Henley & Partners Passport Index showed that the Georgian passport ranked 51st globally, granting Georgian citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 122 destinations.

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