As a result of prolonged and multifaceted negotiations between the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ukrainian side, 65 Ukrainian citizens located at the “Dariali” border checkpoint voluntarily returned to their homeland via a chartered flight through a third country.
This information was released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs facilitated the transfer of Ukrainian citizens from the ‘Dariali’ border checkpoint to Tbilisi International Airport, where they were handed over to representatives of Ukrainian law enforcement authorities. For their part, the Ukrainian authorities ensured the boarding of these citizens and accompanied them during the chartered flight.
It is noteworthy that a certain number of individuals remain at the Georgian state border, and the Georgian side continues intensive negotiations with the Ukrainian side and international organizations to ensure their organized, safe, and voluntary return to their homeland.
We hope that the process regarding the individuals remaining at the border will not be prolonged and that they will be able to return to their homeland in the near future.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs reiterates its full readiness to implement all relevant measures within its competence and to assist the Ukrainian side in the process of returning individuals located at the Georgian state border to their homeland.
As is known to the public, 87 individuals arriving from the Russian Federation were present in the so-called neutral zone of the ‘Darial’ border checkpoint. They sought to cross the Georgian state border with invalid documents, claiming to be Ukrainian citizens. Due to state security interests, these individuals were not allowed to enter the country, as all of them have serious criminal records and have been convicted multiple times for serious or particularly serious crimes. Additionally, they lacked valid documents required for border crossing and did not meet the criteria for entry into Georgia.
Over the past months, the Georgian side has held numerous working meetings with both the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia and representatives of international organizations. To address this issue, the network of police attachés was also utilized, through which communication took place between Georgia’s police attaché in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all relevant state agencies, is taking necessary measures within its competence to ensure, on the one hand, the safety of the Georgian population and, on the other hand, the timely return of individuals remaining in the so-called ‘neutral zone’ to their homeland,” the statement reads.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs: 65 Ukrainian citizens who were at the Dariali border checkpoint have returned to their homeland – part of the group still remains at the state border, and the Georgian side continues intensive negotiations regarding their return
