The resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia has been the cause of protests that have engulfed Tbilisi. Opposition political parties called on their supporters to take to the streets and demanded that the authorities cancel direct flights, transmits Interfax.
According to the agency, several hundred demonstrators gathered near the parliament building in the center of the Georgian capital and did not disperse despite the rain. Some of them moved to the side exit, intending to build a “corridor of shame” for Georgia’s Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri.
The filming of the scene is broadcast live by local television channels. Asked by their correspondents about the reasons for their dissatisfaction, the activists reply that air communication with Russia reduces Georgia’s chances of joining the European Union.
Problems also arose within parliament itself: at a meeting where Gomelauri was supposed to report to MPs, Georgy Vashadze, a representative of the opposition Agmashenebeli Strategy Party, asked to speak and criticized the authorities. Georgians for their “friendship with Russia” from the podium.
Back in his seat, Irakli (Dachi) Beraya of the Force du Peuple group, which constituted the parliamentary majority, engaged in a verbal skirmish with him which was not long in coming to an end. exceeded in a fight. Parliamentary ushers intervened in the situation, separating the deputies.
Previously, a protest action took place at Shota Rustaveli airport in Tbilisi, where on May 19 the first direct flight of the Russian airline Azimuth arrived after the resumption of air traffic. RIA News clarifies that the protest rally was organized by the opposition party Droa (Time). His supporters gathered in the center of Tbilisi and from there drove a column of cars to the airport, attaching EU and Ukrainian flags to the cars.
The demonstrators tried to enter the terminal, holding posters with the inscriptions: “You are not welcome” (“You are not welcome here”), “Russian plane, go to ***” and the like. They were greeted by a police cordon set up to ensure the safety of passengers. Six demonstrators were arrested for disturbing public order and brought before a court which placed them under arrest.
On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree abolishing the visa regime for Georgian citizens. According to this document, they can enter Russia with an identity card and stay in the country for up to three months. For a longer stay or work, a visa is always necessary.
In addition, a presidential decree lifted the current ban on direct flights between the two countries. Shortly thereafter, the Foreign Ministry withdrew a recommendation to Russians to refrain from traveling to Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has spoken out against resuming direct flights, calling Putin’s decision provocative. However, the country’s prime minister welcomed the change, and Georgian authorities quickly announced that they would allow direct flights from Russia to airlines whose planes were not subject to international sanctions.
The Russian airline Azimuth was the first to receive permission to serve this route – it has been valid since May 17. Tour operators have already reported that the first package tours to Georgia on direct flights could go on sale before the end of the month.
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