Ukrainian chargé d’affaires summoned at foreign office as Tbilisi slams Kyiv for imposing sanctions on Georgian Airways

Oleksandr Shulga, the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires, was on Monday summoned at the Georgian foreign office after Kyiv’s move last week to impose sanctions on Georgian Airways for resuming direct flights to Russia following Moscow’s move in April to lift travel and visa restrictions with Georgia. 

 

Levan Davitashvili, the Vice prime minister and the minister of economy, on Monday slammed Kyiv for “politically grounded” decision over the airlines, claiming the Ukrainian authorities had not used the same approach to several, foreign airlines for similar actions. 

 

Davitashvili also accused the domestic opposition of encouraging the Kyiv to the decision, adding the Georgian public “knows very well how close the Georgian opposition is to the Ukrainian authorities”. 

 

In its statements, Georgian Airways slammed the opposition and social media users for their negative reactions to the company’s move, claiming they had “always served national interests”. 

 

The company has also imposed a ban on president Salome Zourabichvili who criticized both the government and the company for accepting and operating flights to and from Russia on the backdrop of its ongoing aggression against Ukraine. 

 

The Georgian government said lifted restrictions would “benefit one million Georgians” living in Russia, and that not accepting the flights and lifted visa regime would mean imposing counter sanctions on Russia which they said would threaten the country’s security and its economy.