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According to Khoshtaria, restoring direct air travel with Russia is a betrayal of national interests and an attack on the state’s sovereignty. 

“Azimuth airline is banned from all European airspace and airports because it makes those aircraft and bombers that bombed our country, that are bombing Ukrainians, and the entirety of the civilized world, is telling them no, you can’t land here. The Georgian government has told this airline, behind our backs and against our interests, to come right it, you’re welcome to fly here. We have seen that this airline has Abkhazia and South Ossetia listed as separate states on their website, indicating they should use Russian passports for flights, which is in direct violation of our constitution and the Law on Occupation. What does the Georgian government do? Not only did they permit flights but hastily contacted them and the writing was removed within two hours. Can you imagine the level of coordination between this government and Russia?!” stated Elene Khoshtaria today.

Khoshtaria says that the rally is directed against the “treacherous decision” of the government and not the passengers of the flight:

“This is yet another act of betrayal that poses us with another challenge. We have passed this test a number of times before: on February 24, when we stood with Ukraine, or in June when we protected our European choice. Today, we must defend our dignity and sovereignty once again. We believe that on the day of the first flight, Georgia must show its true color to Russia, Ukraine, and the world. This plane will not cruise in comfortably; we should show them during that first flight where Georgians stand”.

Azimuth is the first Russian airline that was granted permission by the Georgian Civil Aviation Agency to fly to Georgia after the renewal of air travel between the two countries. The Agency stressed that the airline is not on the US sanctions list or the EU’s black list. Ukrainian government sanctioned Azimuth in October 2022 with a justification that the company operates in the strategic locations of Russia and provides high-value support (transport, logistics, etc.) in the processes that undermine or endanger Ukrainian territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

Azimuth will fly the Moscow-Tbilisi route seven times a week. The first flight will depart from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on May 19, at 8:50 AM local time. The aircraft is scheduled to land at Tbilisi International Airport at 1:50 PM.

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering the renewal of flights, which had been suspended four years prior, on May 10, 2023. On top of renewed flights, a visa policy in effect since 2000 has been canceled and Georgian citizens will be able to enter Russian territory without a visa from May 15.

On May 11, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili applauded the removal of a flight ban and a visa policy, while President Salome Zurabishvili denounced it, labeling it as another Russian provocation, which poses a great challenge to the Georgian government. According to her, as long as Russia remains a global villain and an occupier of Georgian territory, such a move is untimely and inappropriate. Zurabishvili called for the introduction of 3-month visas for Russian citizens.