On December 17, 2023, Shota Martinenko, the host of the pro-Kremlin “Alt-Info” TV, as well as Georgian-language Facebook users (1, 2, 3, 4) disseminated the quote of Jens Spahn, a member of the German Bundestag, that the country has to send illegal immigrants in Georgia, Moldova, Ghana or Rwanda. should be sent. The authors of the posts connect Spahn’s initiative with the EU membership candidate status received by Georgia. As Martinenko writes, “I think the first tangible result of the Euro-candidate status has already been exposed.” In addition, together with the screenshots of Spahn’s statement, one user published a screenshot of an article by online media Tabula, according to which the German Minister of Internal Affairs is coming to Tbilisi to sign the agreement on migration.
The claim that the initiative to send refugees to Georgia is linked to its EU membership candidate status is manipulative. Spahn said that it is necessary to start negotiations with Georgia, and this does not mean that the European Union obliges the country to accept citizens of foreign countries. Also, the purpose of the visit of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Germany on December 18 is to sign a document that has nothing to do with Spahn’s initiative. The document provides for the return of Georgian citizens who reside illegally in Germany. Not to mention, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany responded to Spahn’s initiative and said that she did not agree with it.
On December 17, Jens Spahn spoke in an interview with the newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung about the initiative that all new refugees who enter EU countries illegally should be sent to Ghana, Rwanda, or Eastern European countries that are not members of the EU. According to his assessment, if they do this continuously, the number of refugees will decrease. According to Spahn, many refugees would no longer want to enter EU countries under the premise that “within 48 hours they will find themselves outside the EU, in a safe third country.”
“Rwanda is probably ready to do it, maybe Ghana is too. Negotiations with Eastern European countries such as Georgia and Moldova are also needed. – said Spahn.
On December 11, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) presented a proposal regarding migration – in a 71-page document called “Live in Freedom,” the authors write that the number of asylum seekers in Germany and Europe should be limited and they consider the option of redirecting them to a “safe third country”. The authors of the document want to regain control over migration, because “hospitality means deciding for yourself who and how many will enter our homes.” However, despite this, the vision of the Christian-Democratic Union in the opposition is an initiative and should be discussed in Germany before being offered to Georgia.
During her visit to Rwanda, the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, responded to the initiative and rejected calls to outsource asylum procedures from Europe. In her words, she was “a bit surprised” by the proposal of the German conservatives, which is based on the British model. A similar law regarding the sending of illegals to Rwanda is being considered in Great Britain – the initiative of Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is also called the “Rwanda deportation plan”.
On August 30, the German government included Georgia and Moldova in the list of safe countries. Being declared a safe country means that the asylum application of the citizens of these countries will be considered more quickly in Germany and, in case of rejection, the deportation procedure will be accelerated.
Visit of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Germany to Georgia
As for the December 18 visit of German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to Georgia, according to the embassy, the main purpose of her meeting with Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri is to sign a bilateral agreement on migration. The document does not entail sending illegal citizens of a foreign country to Georgia as a “safe third country” as it provides for the return of Georgian citizens illegally staying in Germany to their homeland. In addition, according to the announcement, “the agreement will promote seasonal employment, there will be targeted opportunities for the employment of Georgian citizens in Germany, and relations in the direction of specialist education will be strengthened.” As Nancy Faeser said at the joint briefing, they are conducting a campaign so that Georgian citizens know “how low the chances are for obtaining asylum in Germany, however, the process of attracting specialists and labor will continue.”
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also released a statement on Faeser’s visit. According to the statement, the document signed by the ministers of the two countries envisages the strengthening of the fight against illegal migration, which means the strengthening of cooperation in the direction of ensuring the readmission and reintegration of those citizens of Georgia who violate the regime of visa-free travel. The readmission program has been in effect since March 1, 2011, after the agreement signed between Georgia and the European Union in 2010 on the readmission of persons living without permission came into force. The agreement provides for the readmission of Georgian citizens, and we also read about the readmission of third-country citizens or stateless persons:
“Georgia shall readmit, upon application by a Member State and without further formalities other than those provided for in this Agreement, all third-country nationals or stateless persons who do not, or who no longer, fulfil the conditions in force for entry into, presence in, or residence on, the territory of the Requesting Member State provided that it is proved, or may be validly assumed on the basis of prima facie evidence furnished, that such persons:
- (a) hold, at the time of submission of the readmission application, a valid visa or residence permit issued by Georgia; or
- (b) illegally and directly entered the territory of a Member State after having stayed on, or transited through, the territory of Georgia.”
About the Sources
Facebook user Ru Sa publishes posts with anti-Western, homophobic, and anti-opposition content. The disinformation spread by the user has been debunked by “Myth Detector” many times in the past.
Khundadze Nini is one of 5 profiles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of Nini Khundadze, a supporter of the conservative movement and its affiliate Alt-Info TV. The account often publishes anti-Western content. “Myth Detector” has debunked the false information spread by the user many times in the past.
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