Travelers from the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council nations can now enter Georgia a 90-day stay without a visa.
“Now they only need their passports with them like other neighboring countries, the European community and the United States.” George Janjgava, Georgian ambassador to Riyadh said to Arab News, adding: “Georgia is a tolerant country with a mix of ethnic and religious groups. It has a growing tourism industry with 6 million visiting annually.”
In terms of trade, Janjgava said, Georgia seeks cooperation in agriculture, tourism and transport. In particular, the country has an abundance of spring mineral water for medicinal use.
Georgia ranks ninth among countries in the ease of doing business index. In Forbes magazine’s list of best countries for business, Georgia ranks 47th among 146 countries, determined by 11 factors including property rights, technology and innovation, taxes and corruption.
Nine percent of the country’s population is Muslim and the rest mostly Christians. The downtown area has a mosque, synagogue and church close to each other, he said.
There has been a significant influence on Georgia by Iranians and Arabs alike because the country has many scientific books written by Iranian and Arab scholars. Many had been born in Georgia from the 8th to the 11th century.
