Iran protests mistreatment of citizens on Georgia borders

Tehran has conveyed its protest to Tbilisi regarding the mistreatment of its nationals seeking to enter the South Caucasian country.

According to Press TV, in a meeting with Georgian Ambassador to Tehran Ioseb Chakhvashvili on Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for consular affairs complained about the unfriendly behavior of certain Georgian border officials towards Iranian citizens.

Highlighting the cordial relations between the two nations, the Iranian official also said that an increase in the number of deportations run contrary to a bilateral agreement on visa free travel and growing ties between Tehran and Tbilisi.

The Georgian envoy, for his part, voiced regret over the recent developments and underlined the importance of bilateral ties.

He also stressed the Georgian government and nation’s respect for the Iranian people.

He further expressed hope for the development of bilateral cooperation, vowing to follow up the declared concerns.

Reports said recently that some 200 Iranians have been deported from land and air borders of Georgia over the past days.

Earlier this week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said the deportations had various reasons. He said some of the nationals had no initial documents to enter Georgia, while several other deportees had sufficient documents.

SS