Georgia imposed visa restrictions on Russian citizens on Saturday in the wake of Moscow's recognition of two breakaway Georgian regions as independent states.
Under the new visa regime that will take effect on Sept. 8, entry visas will only be issued to those Russians "planning to arrive in Georgia in order to meet with members of their families, for humanitarian purposes or for official (business) trips," a statement of the Foreign Ministry in Tbilisi said.
The visa restrictions followed Georgia's announcement it was cutting diplomatic ties with Moscow to protest Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's decision earlier this week to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent from Georgia.
The two regions broke from central Georgian rule during wars in the early 1990s.
Georgia, a former Soviet republic and a staunch U.S. ally, has long been at odds with Russia over the two breakaway regions and its own bids to join NATO and the European Union.
Earlier this month, Georgia sent in troops to reclaim South Ossetia, which borders Russia, triggering a military counter-offensive from Russia. The conflict ended with a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow brokered by France.
Source:Xinhua
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