On February 17-18, the local team of the Prometheus Project participated in a visit at the Kutaisi Airport, organized by the French Embassy.
Besides HE Diégo Colas, Ambassador of France to Georgia, along with the Interior Security Service of the French Embassy, the delegation was composed of representatives from the Delegation of the EU, ICMPD, IOM, Netherlands, Greece, French Border Police Central Directorate and from Frontex.
The delegation was received by representatives from the Georgian Patrol Police: M. Guram Davitashvili, Head of the Patrol Police and M. Giorgi Jikia, newly appointed Head of the Kutaisi Airport as well as by representatives from the Georgian Civil Aviation.
During these exchanges, several initiatives have been discussed, in the framework of the Prometheus Project:
- the dissemination of a Schengen Manuel for the Georgian authorities (for the Patrol Police), elaborated by the Interior Security Service of the French Embassy and financed by the Prometheus Project;
- the deployment of liaison officers at Kutaisi Airport to support Frontex activity and to proceed with training on Schengen rules.
On February 18th, at 4:30 am, French, European and Georgian authorities attended the boarding of the flight to Beauvais operated by the Wizzair low-cost company. Three other flights were being operated at the same time, to Athens, Bologna and Budapest, all of them by Wizzair. This enabled the participants to become aware of the conditions under which the checks are carried out by the Georgian Border Police officers, assisted by the FRONTEX liaison officers.
