Opposition, civil activists protest landing of Russian plane in Tbilisi airport

The Droa opposition party and civil activists have gathered in Tbilisi airport on Friday to protest the landing of the Russian plane for the first time since 2019, when the Kremlin canceled direct flights with Georgia, following the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision earlier this month to lift travel and visa restrictions with Georgia on the backdrop of Moscow’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. 

 

The plane boarding Russian citizens and the representatives of Georgia-based pro-Russian  Solidarity for Peace organization, has already landed in the airport, amid large-scale controversies around the issue and calls to the authorities by domestic opposition and the west not to allow the flights. 

 

In his press comments, Merab Chikashvili, the representative of the pro-Russian organization, has extended his gratitude to Putin “on behalf of the majority of Georgians” for his decision on May 10 to resume direct Russia-Georgia flights and lift the visa ban that Moscow maintained since 2000. 

 

Washington and the European Union have already warned Tbilisi of  possible sanctions if any sanctioned aircraft entered the country’s territory, following the Georgian government’s positive assessments on lifting the restrictions, citing “humanitarian interests of Georgian citizens”. 

 

Part of the domestic opposition, along with the US embassy in Georgia, have claimed it was a “trap” and Putin would demand “something” in exchange of lifting the bans. Kelly Degnan, the US ambassador to Georgia, also disapproved with the resumption of flights and said it could pose threats to Georgia’s European integration process ahead of the bloc’s forthcoming decision whether to grant Tbilisi its membership candidate status by the end of this year.