Information Meeting Held with European Journalists at the Mejvriskhevi Community Center

An information meeting was held on 6th of April at the Mejvriskhevi Community Center of Gori municipality, where the journalists from EU member states visiting Georgia were familiarized with regulations regarding the visa-free travel for Georgian citizens in EU. The journalists, invited by the EU subcontractor the European Journalism Centre were hosted by Mr. George Jashi, the Executive Secretary of the SCMI Secretariat and Ms. Mariam Dzagnidze, the director of the project “Introduction of e-Governance in Local Self-Governments”.

The topics covered at the meeting included the activities undertaken under the VLAP, ongoing processes and future plans. The Executive Secretary of the SCMI Secretariat provided the foreign guests with the information on the public awareness campaign launched by the Ministry of Justice aimed at informing citizens on the visa free travel when issuing biometric passports.

In the framework of this public awareness campaign, a special informational brochure was developed specifying the rules and regulations under the visa free travel, to make it easier for regular citizens to get all necessary information on the topic. Every customer approaching the Public Service Hall, Community Center or territorial office of the PSDA countrywide for the biometric passport is given a copy of the brochure; while the front desk operators have been trained beforehand in order to provide accurate information to citizens on the main issues outlined in the brochure.

In the framework of the visit, the project director Ms. Mariam Dzagnidze provided a tour for the foreign guests in the Mejvriskhevi Community Center and informed then about the specifics of its work.

The representatives of the media agencies from up to 20 EU states (such as Le Figaro, El pais, ANSA, etc.) arrived in Georgia on 5th of April. The visit of the group of journalists invited from Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Poland and other EU countries aims at familiarizing the European mass media with the neighborhood countries. During their stay in Georgia, the journalists will also meet with the Prime Minister of Georgia, the State Minister for European and Euro Atlantic Integration, the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Georgian journalists and the civil society. The visit to penitentiary system is also scheduled during the visit. The journalists will leave Georgia on 7th of April.

Guidebook on legal immigration