However, Georgia's approach to the North Caucasus has been criticised in a report by the US director of national intelligence, James Clapper. The report, published on February 16th, stated that Georgia's public efforts to engage with various ethnic groups in the Russian North Caucasus may have contributed to tensions in the region. This can be interpreted as criticism of a decision by the Georgian government in October 2010 to grant visa-free travel to all residents of the North Caucasian republics in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had described the move as provocative and an attempt to destabilise the situation in the region (December 2010, The political scene).