Iran, Georgia to sign visa-free travel

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is slated to travel to Georgia to open an Iranian consulate in the country and sign a visa-free travel agreement.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that Mottaki would visit Tbilisi from November 3 to 4, adding that a visa-free travel agreement between the two countries would be signed during the visit.

The ministry also said Mottaki would be traveling to the Black Sea city of Batumi to open an Iranian consulate there.

The Iranian foreign minister is expected to meet his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze and President Mikheil Saakashvili during the visit.

Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said at a new conference on November 1 that the two sides were interested in increasing tourism and bilateral trade.

“We are trying to reduce bureaucratic barriers and that’s the reason behind visa-free travel agreement,” she said.

Iran and Georgia have expanded their ties and cooperation in the economic, industrial, and trade sectors in recent years.

Earlier in October the Iranian foreign minister had announced Tehran’s plans to lift visa requirements for citizens of neighboring countries, saying the move would help Iran increase its interaction and communication with its neighbors.

Iran has already lifted visa requirements for Azerbaijani nationals and expects Baku to introduce a visa-free regime for Iranians soon.