Georgia’s Interior Ministry denies surge in passenger arrivals via Russia border

Georgian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said on Wednesday that manipulative and disinformation-based reports were being circulated claiming that the number of passengers entering Georgia through the Georgia-Russia land border had recently increased.

Darakhvelidze said the state was also working to ensure that any person who may pose a threat to the country’s security was identified in a timely manner and denied entry at the state border.

“Manipulative and disinformation-based reports are being disseminated through the mass media claiming that the number of passengers entering Georgia through the Georgia-Russia land border has recently increased. This information is untrue and is intended to mislead the public. In general, passenger flows increase during the summer due to the tourist season. The figure cited by certain media outlets includes both passengers entering Georgia and those leaving the country. It should be noted that the number of departures exceeds the number of arrivals”, he said.

“This figure is being used to manipulate the public, creating the impression that it represents the total number of Russian citizens, which is not the case. The figure includes the combined number of citizens of the Russian Federation, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and various other countries”, Darakhvelidze continued.

He emphasised that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and all state agencies were doing their utmost to facilitate the entry of tourists into the country while ensuring the security of Georgia’s borders. He said this included ensuring that any person who may pose a threat to national security was identified in a timely manner and denied entry at the state border.

“I call on the public to verify information through official sources and to rely on factual data rather than speculative and manipulative reports disseminated by certain media outlets”, Darakhvelidze concluded.