Georgians are celebrating their newly won freedom to travel visa-free to most EU countries, with officials cheering it as a "historic" achievement for the country's nearly 4 million people.

There have been public celebrations across the country, and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili joined students, journalists, and other state officials for an early morning flight from Tbilisi to Athens on March 28 to kick off the liberalized regime.

Kvirikashvili then continued on to Brussels, where he met with European Council President Donald Tusk.

At a joint press event, Tusk said, "it is a very special day for both the European Union and Georgia."

"It has been a long journey, but one that has brought us closer together," Tusk added.

The EU originally recommended lifting visa restrictions for Georgians in December 2015.

The process was bogged down by difficult negotiations among EU member states, many of whose populations have been gripped by security fears and a wariness of outsiders.

Georgian nationals with biometric passports can now travel visa-free to all EU member states except Britain and Ireland. It also applies to non-EU Schengen-area countries Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

"This is an enormous achievement and a great opportunity for Georgian citizens to better acquaint [themselves] with the European Union, to better learn the values that the European Union stands on," Kvirikashvili told reporters at Tbilisi airport.

Georgia has long sought closer ties to the EU despite persistent efforts by Moscow to increase its influence among post-Soviet states including Georgia, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008.

"I'm very glad that the process of visa liberalization was completed successfully," a fellow traveler on the Tbilisi-to-Athens flight, Tinatin Tsereteli, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service.

"I think it's a huge achievement for our country...to move further close to the EU. This is symbolic but also has a practical meaning, because our citizens will get a chance to get acquainted with EU countries."

Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze has said that residents of Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will also be eligible to travel to the EU without visas if they have biometric Georgian passports.

Following the 2008 war, Moscow recognized the two regions as independent countries and maintains a strong military presence in both of them. Almost the entire international community considers them part of Georgia.

On the eve of the visa-free regime, Janelidze called Georgia's "European path...irreversible" and said it will bring "positive results" in all walks of life.

"I will be probably one of the first Georgians entering Germany without a visa, it is really an exciting and pleasant feeling. It's like being part of something historic," Mikheil Chabukashvili told RFE/RL at the airport.

"Previous trips to Europe implied a lot of effort, and now I hope all Georgians take the opportunity to use all the benefits of visa-free travel."

Public celebrations were organized across the country to mark the milestone.

Georgian and EU flags were installed on the streets of the capital and projected onto the government administration building, and a gala concert was held on Europe Square in downtown Tbilisi.

"I think it is a huge step forward for the country, especially young people will benefit from it," a Tbilisi resident said. "Many of them will be able to fulfill their dreams. Some of them may even start a business. Anyway, it's very exciting and very good."

But not everyone was so enthusiastic.

"For whoever is in the mood for sightseeing, it's probably good," an elderly Tbilisi resident said, "But for people like me, what can they do?"

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili suggested via Twitter that the visa liberalization was another step toward closer ties to Western institutions. "Thanks to our friends! Go #Georgia towards European Integration!"

The Georgians' embrace is a welcome change for EU officials otherwise occupied with the bloc's looming Brexit talks, uncertainty over a new U.S. administration, and surging nationalism and xenophobia following Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn sent his "sincere congratulations" via Twitter and told Georgians to "enjoy Europe."

President Dalia Grybauskaite of EU member Lithuania released a video address on YouTube to congratulate Georgians on what she called a "special day."

"From now on, our nations will be even closer all because of the efforts of the Georgian people," Grybauskaite said. "Your commitment to freedom and democracy is an example for the region."

The visa negotiations between Tbilisi and Brussels were slowed by concurrent talks between the European Parliament and the European Council on a visa-suspension mechanism. That mechanism, which also entered into force on March 28, allows for visa-free travel to be suspended on security grounds.

Prime Minister Kvirikashvili said on March 24 that Georgian authorities would "notify the EU member states and launch a proactive search of nonreturnees to ensure the activation of readmission procedures."

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Georgia Today, Civil.ge, and Agenda.ge</s>“The rhetoric from the United Kingdom government needs to focus instead on achieving a deal that will work for the United Kingdom and the European Union”, he said. The food supply chain employs nearly four million people and generates over £100 billion of value for the economy each year. “Nevertheless, we can not operate in isolation”. “Our retailers need access to a full range of goods all year round to balance seasonality and meet consumer demand”.

He said: “It is going to be tough, but we must focus on developing a strategic approach that aims to preserve frictionless trade while building a launch-pad from which the United Kingdom can secure ever more ambitious deals from around the world”.

May has conceded that the United Kingdom must exit from the EU’s single market and customs union in order to take control over immigration. This is why I think that as start to leave the European Union, we need to come together and make sure we make the very best of it for our country’s future, regardless of how we all voted last June. ‘Stability and continuity ” The statement continued: “We call on the government to adopt an approach that will ensure stability and continuity for agri-food and drink businesses”. Any new customs arrangements must maintain frictionless trade by preventing both tariff and non-tariff barriers from springing up and ensuring the United Kingdom can strike trade agreements with the rest of the world.

But Barnier added an UK-EU deal could be an “ambitious free-trade agreement, provided that it ensures fair competition and guarantees high environmental, social and consumer protection standards”. The group wants the United Kingdom to secure the benefits for United Kingdom traders of existing European Union preferential trade arrangements, including the UK’s “fair share’ of tariff rate quotas for agricultural imports, as well as of any preferential access for United Kingdom food and drink exports at least until government can replace them with “acceptable alternative arrangements'”. Following this the United Kingdom will have a two year period in which to settle terms for its exit from the EU.

The study from Demos found that Wales, the north-east and east Midlands – areas of the country that largely backed leave – were most reliant on exports to the EU, European workers and EU support grants.

In an article for the Financial Times, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned there was a chance that neither side would reach an agreement over this timescale. “This means agreeing on the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom before negotiating any future trade deal”.</s>BRUSSELS -- Georgian nationals with biometric passports will be able to travel to most European Union member states without visas as of March 28.

The day has been eagerly anticipated by Tbilisi, which has long sought closer ties with the EU while facing persistent efforts by Russia to increase Moscow's influence following a brief war with Georgia in 2008.

The European Commission recommended in December 2015 that visa restrictions for Georgians be lifted but negotiations among EU member states initially proved difficult.

The talks between the European Parliament and the European Council on a visa-suspension mechanism that took place in parallel with the visa liberalization talks also slowed the process.

That mechanism, which also enters into force on March 28, allows for visa-free regimes for Georgians to be halted under certain circumstances once they are in place.

The visa-liberalization deal for Georgia will apply to all EU countries except Britain and Ireland, and will also not be honored in the non-EU Schengen Area countries of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.</s>Kizito Sikuka Correspondent

 Imagine if all tourists to Southern Africa are encouraged to visit more than one country in the region.The Southern African Development Community (SADC) would be one of the most preferred destinations in the world, allowing countries to realise better proceeds from their numerous tourist attractions such as the Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, San rock paintings in Botswana and the absorbing wildlife population in the region.

This cross-border tourism development will create an entirely new assortment of tourism opportunities in Southern Africa and present new opportunities for socio-economic development, as well as deepen integration among member states as countries will jointly market their attractions.

One strategy of achieving cooperation in developing the tourism industry in Southern Africa is to create a single visa system for travellers in the region.

A single visa system will not only allow tourists and travellers to the region to move smoothly across borders and between member states, but will also encourage tourists to visit more than one country in SADC.

Currently, travellers to SADC are expected to apply for a visa each time they intend to visit another country in the region, a situation most travellers say is costly, and a barrier to movement within the region.

In this regard, a single visa system for travellers to the SADC region makes economic sense as it saves time, money, bureaucratic hassles and makes travel easier.

Zambia and Zimbabwe are implementing a similar visa system to encourage tourists to move smoothly between the two countries.

The visa system commonly known as the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Univisa is the first step towards adopting a Univisa in the SADC region.

The KAZA Univisa was initially launched in November 2014. However, due to various challenges the system briefly stopped in December 2015, and later resumed in December 2016.

Updating stakeholders on the implementation of the KAZA Univisa, the Zimbabwe principal director for immigration, Clemence Masango said a SADC Univisa is critical in promoting tourism in the region, adding that it was time for other countries in SADC to join the KAZA Univisa.

“The KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Areas countries must now take full ownership of and responsibility over this KAZA Univisa programme if it is to be a success and a permanent feature in the facilitation of tourism and marketing of our products and destination,” he said.

The implementation of the KAZA Univisa was originally set to be rolled out in four different stages.

The pilot phase involves Zambia and Zimbabwe, with the next step expected to cover three other countries, namely Angola, Botswana and Namibia, who make up the five members of the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA).

Thereafter, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland are scheduled to join the KAZA Univisa system.

The fourth and last stage should see all the other remaining SADC countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles and the United Republic of Tanzania – joining the visa system, thereby adopting a Univisa in the SADC region.

Chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Karikoga Kaseke said the establishment of a Univisa in SADC will be the “the final answer to multi-destination access” in the region.

He said such a move will also make the region cheaper to access, boosting arrivals and revenue from tourism.

“People plan holidays in a manner that takes them to two or more countries,” he said, adding that tourists always strive to avoid any unnecessary or complicated processes including expensive visa applications.

“If travellers get a visa in one country that gives them access to other countries that are on that visa, it will be more appreciated . . .

As such, going forward it would be prudent for us in the region and beyond to seriously consider the promotion of multi-destination access through the establishment of the tourism visa.”

The SADC Univisa system is expected to be modelled along the Schengen visa that allows free movement of travellers across the European Union.

When fully implemented, a single visa for SADC has the capacity to considerably improve the travel and flow of visitors to and within the region.

Southern Africa has some of the best attractions in the world that range from Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to the Great Zimbabwe.

According to a recent Southern African Travel and Tourism Barometer by the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA), tourist arrivals to Southern Africa continue to increase. For example, arrivals increased from about 23 million in 2013 to more than 24 million in 2014. -sardc.net
Georgia's visa-free regime, which allows travel to most member states of the European Union, with the exception of Ireland and the United Kingdom, enters into force.