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Travel Documents Are Issued on Refugees

April 10, 2009

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Travel documents are issued on refugees for the first time in Georgia; with those documents refugees can cross the border of Georgia. Chechen Refugees residing in Pankisi Valley have been asking for travel documents for a long time already.

Today, Koba Subeliani, Minister of Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia, handed travel documents to Chechen refugees in the village of Duisi in Pankisi Valley.

Giorgi Vashadze, chairperson of the Public Registry within the Ministry of Justice and Peter Nikolaus, representative of the UN High Commissionaire for Refugees in Georgia visited the valley as well.

“We studied the problems of refugees and it showed that they did not have travel documents for traveling abroad. In order to resolve the problem based on international experience we introduced amendments to legal system. Law of Georgia on Rules of Registration and Identity Verification of Citizens of Georgia and Aliens Residing in Georgia entitled aliens to get travel documents,” stated Koba Subeliani, the Minister of Refugees and Accommodation.

The Public Registry together with the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation started issuing residence permits on the refugees residing in Georgia in summer of 2007.

“We together with the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation issued residence permits on Chechen refugees short time ago and we promised them we would issue travel documents as well,” said Giorgi Vashadze.

 Vashadze stated the refugees will be able to cross Georgian border without any problems.

According to the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, the documents were issued with the support of the UNHCR. The documents were prepared for free and they will expire in three years.

Kameta Temurbulatova, Chechen refugee residing in the village of Duisi, stated that she has been residing in Georgia since 1999 and has not visited her relatives for 10 years already.

“Travel documents are very important for us.  Now we can visit our relative and leave country,” said Temurbulatova.

Refugees faced many problems because of lack of documents while getting allowances or transportation. They were not identified either,

According to the preliminary information, many refugees will leave Georgia soon after the travel documents are issued.

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