Iranian Embassy confirms reports of deportation of Iranians from Georgian ports of entry
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tbilisi implicitly confirmed reports about the deportation of a number of Iranian citizens at Georgian entry points and said that it was pursuing the issue "through diplomatic channels."
The embassy's statement was echoed in domestic media on Sunday evening, Azar 11, stating that it had received "repeated reports" about "unusual deportations of Iranian nationals at various Georgian borders, especially in recent days."
Fars News Agency reported on the same day that Georgia had been expelling Iranian passengers from Tbilisi airport or the country's borders for a month, and this process has intensified since last week, so that the number of these Iranians had reached 46 by the evening of December 20.
The news agency wrote that "18 of these people arrived at Tbilisi Airport on Friday morning on a Qeshm Air flight" and "had both return tickets and travel insurance," but ultimately Georgian government agents returned them to Iran from the airport.
The report suggests that the election of Salome Zurabishvili as the new president of Georgia played a role in this event, stating that her "anti-immigration policies" have exacerbated this trend.
Georgia does not require visas for Iranian citizens, and Iranians can typically stay in the country for up to 45 days without a residence card. As a result, Georgia has become a major tourist destination for Iranians in recent years.
Fars continued the report by quoting eyewitnesses, saying that “[Georgian] police officers, in the queue to enter the airport, randomly selected some people, took their passports, and took them to interrogation rooms. After questioning and answering, and without looking at the person’s documents, they informed him that he could not enter and that he had to return to Iran.”
The report also reported that female Georgian officers conducted body searches of Iranian female passengers "at the highest level," and wrote that the searches were conducted "under the false pretext of carrying drugs."
Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Tbilisi has noted that "based on its inherent duties to protect the dignity of our country's citizens and the material and spiritual assets of our compatriots, it has put appropriate measures on the agenda."
The Iranian embassy in Tbilisi also stated that "it had previously called for transparency in laws and regulations and clear accountability to interested and affected individuals, through correspondence and numerous negotiations."
The embassy ultimately expresses hope that through "constructive interaction and cooperation between the two sides," conditions will progress toward mutual benefits for both parties.
In mid-October of this year, the Serbian government revoked the exemption for Iranians from visa-free travel to the country. Belgrade cited the decision as a result of a number of Iranians attempting to illegally enter the European Union through Serbia or claiming asylum.
Source: Radio Farda
