A Reception to Mark Visa Free Regime with the EU

LONDON- Official Media Release

Ambassador of Georgia Tamar Beruchashvili and High Commissioner of Malta Norman Hamilton, on behalf of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, hosted a reception to mark Georgia's visa free regime with the EU. The event was held on March 30 at the Europe House in London.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps and of the UK Parliament, including the Head of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Georgia, Jonathan Djanogly attended the reception. Guests also included the representatives of the think tanks, academia, as well as of Georgian diaspora, the Georgian Orthodox church in London and the Members of Georgian Parliament Eka Beselia and Irakli Sesiashvili.

The Ambassadors of the EU Member states congratulated Georgia on this historic date and reinstated their support to Georgia’s European way. They particularly underlined the importance of this positive development for the European Union, taking into consideration the challenges posed by Brexit.

HE Tamar Beruchashvili and HE Norman Hamilton addressed the audience. On behalf of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, High Commissioner of Malta congratulated Georgia on this significant step forward and underlined the importance of the visa free regime for Georgia, as well as for the EU.

In her speech Ambassador of Georgia congratulated Georgia and the EU on this success and underlined historic importance of the visa waiver for citizens of Georgia in the context of country’s European integration process. Tamar Beruchashvili thanked the EU institutions and EU member states for their unanimous support in this regard.

In her address, the Ambassador highlighted that the visa free regime with the EU is an important step on Georgia's European way, bringing Georgia ever closer to Europe. She stated that visa-free travel will bring tangible and concrete benefits to the citizens of Georgia and promote closer people-to-people contacts, tourism, educational, cultural and business ties between the societies, thus, will facilitate successful implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.

It is of utmost importance that all benefits of visa-free movement will be available to our citizens in the occupied territories.

The guests were treated to Georgian wine and refreshments.