The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has issued a statement regarding the individuals stranded in the so-called neutral zone of the Dariali-Lars border checkpoint. According to the ministry, there are currently 17 people in the neutral zone, and the Georgian side continues intensive negotiations with the Ukrainian side and international organizations regarding their organized, safe, and voluntary return to their homeland.
“The individuals in the neutral zone claim to be citizens of Ukraine, but they do not possess valid documents required to cross the border and do not meet the criteria for admission across the state border of Georgia. Furthermore, in the interest of national security, these individuals are not permitted to enter the country, as they have criminal records and have been convicted of serious or especially grave crimes.
As is publicly known, a significant portion of the Ukrainian citizens who were at the Dariali checkpoint and expressed a desire to voluntarily return home have already left Georgia via third countries. This was made possible thanks to lengthy and multilateral negotiations between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and the Ukrainian side.
Regarding the organized, safe, and voluntary return to their homeland of the 17 people currently in the Dariali neutral zone, the Georgian side continues intensive negotiations with the Ukrainian side and international organizations.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia expresses its ongoing readiness to carry out all measures within its competence and to assist the Ukrainian side in the process of returning the individuals located at the state border of Georgia to their homeland.
We also emphasize that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in coordination with the embassy of the respective state and representatives of international organizations, provides the individuals in the so-called neutral zone with everything necessary to meet their basic needs,” the statement says.
