US threatens Georgia with sanctions over direct flights to Russia

Washington threatens Georgia with sanctions if the country does not give up direct flights to Russia. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Georgian airports and the companies that serve them would be under threat.

Recall that the first plane in four years delivered passengers from Moscow to Tbilisi on May 19. The Georgian opposition then tried to provoke rallies, but they quickly faded away.

On May 20, the first flight of the Georgian airline Georgian Airways to Russia took place in four years. The plane from Tbilisi landed in Moscow. After that, the President of the Republic, Salome Zurabishvili, announced a boycott of Georgian Airways for flights to Russia. And the airline, in response, refused to let Zurabishvili on board after her words.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying tourist trips between countries. In addition, he canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15. It follows from the document that Georgian citizens can enter Russia without a visa for up to three months.

Despite the dissatisfaction with this step of Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, the country’s Foreign Ministry made a positive decision. He noted that a large number of immigrants from Russia who live in Georgia have close ties with relatives living in the Russian Federation.