Oman takes up with Georgia denial of entry to tourists

Visitors with all required documents were turned back, official says

The Oman government said that it was in discussions with Georgia after the recent incident in which Omani nationals were sent back from Tbilisi.

More than ten Omanis were denied entry into Georgia, according to the local media reports. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “the ministry is in discussion with authorities in the Republic of Georgia regarding the circumstances surrounding a number of Omani tourists being sent back from Tbilisi airport recently.”

The statement added “according to the information available, this included citizens of other Gulf countries and not only Omanis. The ministry affirms that relations with the Republic of Georgia are strong and work on the continuation and development of these relations is ongoing.”

An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the stateowned TV, Oman TV, that such incidents are strange as the Omanis had all the required documents.

Ali Al Mahri, the head of the Media Affairs at the ministry said: “The new cases of Omanis who were denied entry to Georgia...they all had the required documents. It’s a strange thing. The previous Omanis were sent back home as their documents were incomplete.”

He added that talks are on with the Georgian authorities in this regard.

Oman doesn’t have an embassy in Tbilisi but has a nonresident ambassador to Georgia based in Ankara, Turkey.

In April, the embassy of Oman in Ankara, Turkey issued an advisory to its citizens planning to travel to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia to comply with required guidelines before starting their holidays.