UNM pitches GEL 1,000 occupation fee for Russians entering Georgia

12:15, 28.09.2022

The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has initiated to impose a GEL 1,000 occupation fee for Russian citizens upon entering Georgia, party member Levan Bezhashvili told media outlets on Wednesday.

By doing so, the UNM member believes Russian citizens will recognize that “Russia occupied Georgian territory and is the aggressor.”

Opposition figure also says that this move could be a “stumbling block” for Russians, as they will face entry denial if they don’t recognize the Russian occupation and fail to pay.

Bezhashvili said the IDPs in Georgia should benefit from the occupation fee.

“These funds will be transferred for the needs of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Relying on today’s statistics, about 280,000 Russian citizens are in Georgia. The last 10-day data shows that about 80,000 people have entered the country. By imposing this fee, we could generate fairly significant budget revenues to support IDPs,” Bezhashvili noted.

By - Marika Kartozia

Politics

occupation fee for Russians

The United National Movement (UNM)

Леван Бежашвили