German discusses issue to grant ‘safe country’ status to Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, April 6
Germany is discussing whether to give Georgia ‘safe country’ status, as they believe there are no politically persecuted people from Georgia, Thomas de Maiziere, the German Federal Minister of Interior told his Georgian counterpart on April 5 in Germany.
The German Minister stressed there were many dishonest asylum seekers assailing his county, and ‘safe country status’ is a tool used to combat against the wrongdoing.
Citizens of those foreign states with ‘safe country’ status were not given political asylum in Germany.
To enhance mutual cooperation, the German and Georgian officials signed an implementation protocol on the Readmission of Illegal Migrants, which was seen to expand joint efforts against illegal migration between the two nations.
Maiziere positively assessed the existing partnership between Georgian and German police structures and praised the Georgian attache’s successful cooperation with German’s federal and central criminal police.
Mgebrishvili invited his German counterpart to Georgia.
The Georgian Minister, who launched his firs trip to Germany and France on March 30, had met the heads and senior representatives of the two countries’ law enforcement bodies.
During the meetings, the Georgian official highlighted the importance of closer relations between Georgian and international police structures.
The Minister also informed his foreign colleagues about the conducted and ongoing democratic reforms in Georgia and the Georgina Government’s future plans targeted for Georgia’s faster Euro-Atlantic integration.
Mgebrishvili will return to Georgia tomorrow.
