On May 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan voiced concern over the deportation of Kazakh citizens from Georgia, while also confirming consultations between the two foreign ministries on consular cooperation and citizens’ rights.
During these consultations, the Kazakhstani side expressed its dissatisfaction with the increasing number of entry refusals and deportations of its citizens from Georgia, emphasizing that the vast majority of Kazakhstanis visit the South Caucasus country for tourism and abide by its laws. In response, the Georgian side reported a notable decrease in entry denials for Kazakh citizens since the beginning of May and assured that this positive trend would continue. Additionally, representatives of the Georgian Foreign Ministry confirmed their readiness to create favorable conditions for the entry and stay of Kazakh nationals in Georgia.
This development follows recent tensions in Georgia’s relations with Western countries, as reported in a previous Caucasus Watch article on May 15, where the German Foreign Ministry criticized Georgia’s democratic rollback and suspended aid, reflecting broader concerns about Georgia’s foreign policy and governance.
On May 16, in a separate development, a dangerous repeat offender suspected of attempted murder was extradited to Kazakhstan from Armenia, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan reported. According to the supervisory authority, in September 2024, in the city of Petropavlovsk, an intoxicated man inflicted multiple stab wounds to another individual’s vital organs. The victim survived due to timely medical intervention, while the suspect evaded law enforcement and was placed on an international wanted list. He was arrested in Armenia in October 2024 by local authorities and subsequently extradited to Kazakhstan at the request of the General Prosecutor’s Office. The suspect has been placed in a detention facility, and under Kazakhstani law, the charges he faces carry a penalty of fifteen to twenty years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment with property confiscation.