Resumption of flights with Russia may lead sanctions on companies in Georgia airports – US State Department

The restoration of direct flights between Georgia and Russia may lead to the sanctioning of companies in Georgian airports, Vedant Patel, the US State Department spokesperson said on Thursday. 

 

“Many Western countries, including the US, prohibit Russian aircraft from entering their airspace. If direct flights between Russia and Georgia are restored, we will certainly be concerned that companies in Georgian airports may be at risk of sanctions if they serve those aircraft subject to import and export control”, he said.  The US official also noted the entire Western society had “distanced itself” from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year, and “now is not the time for any country to increase its activities with Russia”. 

 

“The Georgian people would prefer Russia to withdraw its armed forces from 20 percent of the occupied territories of Georgia, rather than restore direct flights or cancel the visa regime,” said Patel.

 

Russia on Wednesday announced the cancellation of visa regime with Georgia it had not removed since 2000, and resumption of direct flights the Kremlin canceled in 2019 in response to large rallies in Tbilisi sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament.