The National Movement is proposing imposition of the obligation to pay the "occupation fee" for the citizens of Russia, who come to Georgia.

As MP Levan Bezhashvili stated at a briefing held in the Parliament, the occupation fee should be 1000 GEL for each citizen.

As Bezhashvili noted, on the one hand, they will thus recognize that Russia has occupied the territories of Georgia, and on the other hand, the received funds will be used for the IDPs. Bezhashvili called on Georgian Dream not to consider this initiative in the context of political controversy and noted that it is necessary to make a decision jointly, without political motivation.

"Based on the existing difficult situation, we are proposing a legislative initiative to the Government. As you know, the uncontrolled influx of Russian citizens has become of a very large scale, which is related to the country's internal security and financial security and a number of risks, which, in turn, causes just protest and questions in the society. Our faction has an initiative to introduce changes in the law on occupied territories, by which we will make a political statement in relation to this process. The said bill envisages the obligation for Russian citizens to pay an occupation fee upon entering the territory of Georgia, which should be determined at 1000 GEL for each citizen.

The payment will guarantee the recognition by Russian citizens that the territory of Georgia is occupied by Russia and that Russia is the aggressor. At the same time, this fee should become a deterrent factor, so that if they do not want to recognize the occupation and refuse to pay money, they will not be allowed to enter the territory of Georgia. The fee will be a declaration of solidarity for the tens of thousands of displaced people in the territory of Georgia. In the Ministry of IDPs, an aid fund for IDPs will be created and these funds will be spent for the needs of IDPs. According to today's statistics, about 280,000 citizens of the Russian Federation are already in the territory of Georgia. In the last ten days, about 80,000 people have entered, therefore, with the introduction of this fee, we will have quite significant budget revenues, which will be used for the needs of the displaced persons. This obligation will also apply to Russian citizens who have already arrived, and when providing civil and administrative services, they will be required to provide a receipt confirming the payment of this amount”, said Bezhashvili.

source: IPN