Georgia calls visa waiver for travel to Russia a provocation

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, eliminates the visa regime for citizens from Georgia, as well as the ban on commercial flights between the two countries.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, eliminates the visa regime for citizens from Georgia, as well as the ban on commercial flights between the two countries.

The president of Georgia has described this decision by Moscow as provocative.

Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia: “We do not need a visa-free regime, we do not need direct flights, none of this is welcome as long as Russia is an aggressor, this gesture on behalf of the occupiers is untimely and untimely.”

Tbilisi and Moscow have not maintained diplomatic relations since the Russian invasion in 2008.

Direct commercial flights between the two countries were banned by Russia in 2019. Under the new order, the visa-free regime will start on May 15 and Georgian citizens will be able to stay in Russia for 90 days.

The Georgian Ministry of Economy has declared that no sanctioned Russian companies will be allowed to operate in Georgia.

Mariam Kvrivishvili, Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “As for the non-sanctioned companies and aircraft, they will obviously have the opportunity to operate commercially and fly in Georgia. About a million of our citizens live in Russia and this decision will certainly help them. It will make travel easier.”

This news has received mixed reactions. The opposition has strongly criticized this measure.

But some members of the executive, such as the foreign minister, believe that more than a million Georgian citizens residing in Russia will benefit.

Now, a large part of the population and the political sector fear that this decision by Vladimir Putin will jeopardize Georgia’s accession process to the European Union.

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