TBILISI: Dozens of Georgians protested on Friday (May 19) outside an airport in the capital Tbilisi as a Russian passenger plane landed in the Caucasus country for the first time since 2019. Anti-Russian sentiment runs deep in Georgia, which was annexed by the Russian empire in the 19th century and -
TBILISI: Dozens of Georgians protested on Friday outside an airport in the capital Tbilisi as a Russian passenger plane landed in the Caucasus country for the first time since 2019.
The resumption of air travel comes as Moscow's offensive in Ukraine stretches into its second year with most Western companies having cancelled their own flights to Russia. One of the protestors, rights activist Lana Gvinjilia, 49, said the resumption of regular flights with Russia"means our government is collaborating with the Kremlin".
"We will not let them operate in Georgia," Khoshtaria said of the flights, speaking to AFP ahead of the arrival of the plane.The party, which insists on its commitment to the country's EU membership bid, has recently stepped up anti-Brussels rhetoric. He said only Russian airlines and aircraft that are not affected by Western sanctions would be allowed to operate in Georgia."I want to reassure our friends in the European Union and elsewhere: this is only about economic and trade relationships," he said, adding that last year Russia collected around US$300 billion from trade with the EU.
Critics have accused Garibashvili's government of undermining Georgia's European integration and flirting with the Kremlin.
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