Arakhamia demanded that Georgia stop air traffic with the Russian Federation
To normalize relations with Ukraine, Georgia must stop air traffic with Russia. This and other conditions were put forward by the head of the parliamentary faction of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia.
He pointed out that there is a specific plan for improving bilateral relations, which includes three points. Firstly, the Georgian side must release former President Mikheil Saakashvili, secondly, it needs to stop direct flights with Russia and, finally, stop helping Moscow avoid Western sanctions.
“Then the normalization of relations will happen easily,” Arakhamia concluded.
The Georgian government accused Ukraine of unfriendly actions
The cabinet of ministers of the republic stated that Georgia has been in solidarity with Ukraine for two years. Nevertheless, after the visit of the former Minister of Justice during Saakashvili’s presidency, Zurab Adeishvili, as part of the Ukrainian delegation to Brussels and Berlin, the government reported that they were “forced to clearly express their position.”
The reasons for concern were the recall of the Ukrainian ambassador from Georgia in March 2022 and the expulsion of the Georgian ambassador by Kiev in July 2023. The Ukrainian authorities are also accused of appointing Zurab Adeishvili and Georgiy Lortkipanidze to high-ranking positions, against whom criminal cases have been initiated in their homeland.
The Georgian government does not understand why the Ukrainian government is making such decisions that are aimed at artificially separating two friendly countries and peoples from each other.
The West was criticized in Georgia for calls to follow sanctions against Russia
Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that Georgia would not introduce unilateral economic sanctions against Russia. “We want peace, stability and unification of the country,” he pointed out. The politician also criticized Western partners calling on Tbilisi to follow sanctions against Moscow and not to allow Russian planes onto its territory, while Europe itself, Garibashvili pointed out, does not stop trade with Russia.
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Current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, meanwhile, noted that Georgia would lose $2.5 billion from sanctions against Russia. He also said that Tbilisi would not impose sanctions against Moscow. Speaking in Brussels with the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, he emphasized that the Georgian authorities have “very strong arguments” for this. At the same time, Kobakhidze expressed disappointment at statements by Ukrainian officials about the opening of a “second front” in Georgia in the conflict with Russia, despite Tbilisi’s political support for Kiev.
In 2023, Putin lifted the ban on flights to Georgia
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the abolition of visas for Georgians and the resumption of air traffic with the republic his personal proposal and decision.
[Хотелось поддержать] our citizens who like to come there to relax, want to get in touch with Georgian nature, culture, cuisine
On May 19, 2023, the first flight in four years took off from Moscow to Tbilisi, but the Georgian side reacted ambiguously to this decision. President Salome Zurabishvili called the resumption of air traffic and the cancellation of visas for Georgians a provocation.
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