Georgia and Northern Macedonia sign visa waiver document
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Tuesday, May 11
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili paid an official visit to Northern Macedonia on May 10 to hold meetings with President Stevo Pendarovski, Assembly President Talat Xhaferi and Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi.
The president of Georgia held a face-to-face meeting with the Northern Macedonia president in an expanded format. The sides discussed the security in the region, the economic and social difficulties caused by the pandemic and the vaccination processes.
“Over the past decades, we have been cooperating intermittently via international organizations, and it is time to increase our relations from international forums to the highest level,” said the president of the Republic of Northern Macedonia at a press conference, noting that this is the first step in this direction is to regulate and promote the legal framework.
According to him, the issues of development of bilateral relations were discussed at the meeting with Zurabishvili. He called the visit historic, since it is the first official visit after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on February 16, 2019.
Zurabishvili briefed Pendarovski on the political situation in Georgia and the most important EU-brokered agreement to overcome the political crisis. Zurabishvili spoke about the dire humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia, kidnappings, illegal detention and in particular, the case of Zaza Gakheladze.
During the official visit, the Presidents of Georgia and the Republic of Northern Macedonia signed an agreement ‘On Exemption from the Obligation to Obtain Visas’ between the Governments of Georgia and the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
According to them, the agreement on visa exemption is aimed at introducing favourable conditions for mutual access for citizens of the two countries. The agreement provides for persons with a biometric passport to be allowed to enter, stop or transit through the country without a visa.
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia, Tea Tsulukiani, and the Minister of Culture of Northern Macedonia Irena Stefoska, signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of culture. It aims to deepen relations between the agencies of the two countries, as well as to develop cultural ties. Encourage activities, exchange information, promote participation in seminars, conferences and cultural events.
The meeting also focused on the NATO summit scheduled for June 14, the process of Georgia's integration into NATO and the European Union, and the importance of Northern Macedonia’s support in this regard. The sides also discussed the current developments in the region and Ukraine, noting that de-escalation requires more active involvement of the international community, NATO and the EU in a non-confrontational manner. President Zurabishvili has invited the President of the Republic of Northern Macedonia to Georgia.
Within the framework of the visit, the President of Georgia is scheduled to meet with Georgian athletes working in northern Macedonia and representatives of the cultural sphere. The official visit of the President to Northern Macedonia will end on May 11.
