No Emiratis denied entry to Georgia, clarifies ministry
dubai — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) has confirmed that it has not received any registered cases of UAE nationals being forced to return to the country from airports in Georgia. However, it has indicated that cases of denied entry against foreign nationals have been identified.
This clarification came as part of the ministry’s follow-up of several reports of abuse on social media towards Emiratis, from entry and exit points in Georgia.
The ministry said the information it has received indicated that cases of denied entry were found for some foreign nationalities residing in the country, accompanying UAE citizens to the popular holidaying destination.
No official complaints
Several cases of mistreatment of UAE residents at Georgia airports have come to light since the MoFAIC’s initial statement on Saturday.
Some travel agents in the UAE told Khaleej Times that regarding travel to Georgia in particular, they do advise travellers about the risk of refusal on entry.
Fardan Haneef, operations manager for Deira Travel and Tourist Agency, said that on average, his agency books 20-30 trips to Georgia for clients each month. “We rarely have such complaints about refusal of entry at Georgia. However, from industry sources and partners, we know there are quite a few travellers being rejected each month.” Although such complaints are minimal at his agency, he said: “I wouldn’t say there is a trend or negative approach at the border in terms of specific nationalities. However, the rejections in our case were of people from Syria, Palestine, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.”
Speaking to Khaleej Times, a spokesperson from the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai said Pakistani nationals living in the UAE have not lodged any official complaints with the consulate regarding travel to Georgia.
Passengers call for action
Since Sunday, Khaleej Times readers have stepped forward to share their experiences of being turned away at Georgia airports, despite holding the necessary visas and documents required for entry.
On June 22, Dubai-based chartered accountant Pramodh P. arrived at Tbilisi International Airport with friends — all of whom were holding valid UAE residence visas.
“As soon as we reached the airport, we were called aside and interrogated separately. We were asked the reason for our visit, employment details in Dubai, and the amount of cash we were carrying.”
Within minutes, he said the group — all holding Indian passports — was escorted by a police officer and made to return to Dubai on the next available flight. “It was a very humiliating and horrific experience. We collected our passports again only after reaching Dubai. I truly hope we can get some valid response from their official authorities on this.”
Bilal Arif had a similar experience back in March. After arriving at the airport with all documents, he was deported for “no valid reason”. “There were nine other people who were deported with me on that trip.”
When Khaleej Times reached out to Dubai Immigration for a statement on the issue, it declined to comment.
For Indian national Ganesh D., although he was given entry to Georgia last week following a road trip from Armenia, it didn’t come without its problems. Although they were eventually issued the entry visa, their local tour guide was shocked at the way they were treated, he claimed. Several other readers said they have reported their experience to the Georgian Embassy — based in Kuwait — to no avail. And at the time of print, the embassy had not responded to requests for comment from Khaleej Times.
The MoFAIC has called upon all travellers to verify the validity of their visas and identity papers before travelling to Georgia or other countries. It also stressed the importance of checking ministry’s website or its social media channels to confirm information.