Georgia, Russia Fail to Agree on Reopening Air Link

Despite a failure to agree on the resumption of air traffic between Georgia and Russia, negotiations in Moscow were ?positive? and the sides have agreed to continue the dialogue over disputed issues, acting head of the Georgian transport regulation agency Alexander Chkhikvadze told reporters in Moscow.

Talks with officials from Russia’s Civil Aviation Agency were held in Moscow on February 5-6.

?This is the beginning of a dialogue. I think that the activities of the working group will be positive and if the payment of debts is launched, the dialogue will continue,? Head of the Civil Aviation Department of the Russian Transport Ministry Genady Loshchyonov told reporters on February 7.

?This debt was accumulated by private air companies. But we also have to take into consideration that the Russian companies also have debts,? Alexander Chkhikvadze said.

The sides have agreed to set up a working group which will try to solve a debt dispute. According to the Russian side, Georgia has a debt of 3,5 million rubles (about USD 132,000) for the non-payment for navigation services provided to Georgian planes in Russia.

?This is a technical problem related with the debt dispute and as soon as an agreement is reached a decision will be made to resume air traffic,? Russian Ambassador to Georgian Vyacheslav Kovalenko said at a news conference in Tbilisi on February 6.

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