Luxembourg Adds Georgia to List of Safe Countries

Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has said that Luxembourg has been added Georgia to the list of safe countries, which means that Georgian citizens will not be granted asylum there.

The decision was made by the local immigration service of Luxembourg, which studied the current situation in Georgia and determined that the country has all the necessary preconditions for being defined as safe. 

“Human rights are being protected in Georgia and the country ensures equality among the citizens despite their race, religion, ethnicity, social identity or political ideology,” The immigration service concluded.

It also added the international organizations working on human rights protection in Georgia have opportunity to freely carry out their activities without any obstacles.

According to the Immigration Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, accelerated procedure will be used for consideration of asylum applications filed by Georgian citizens. It means that the timeframe for making decision will be reduced three times.

Including Luxembourg, seven European countries have already recognized Georgia as a safe country. These countries are: Belgium, Netherlands, France, Bulgaria, Austria and Iceland.

Luxemburg did not grant asylum to any Georgian citizens last year.

By Thea Morrison