International Reactions on Resumption of Russia-Georgia Flights

The resumption of flights between Russia and Georgia has sparked international reactions.

In a recent tweet, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its disappointment over the resumption of flights between Russia and Georgia emphasizing: “It goes against the interests of Georgia and its chosen EU and Euro-Atlantic integration path”. The Ministry reiterated its call for Georgia to align with the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, including in the aviation sector.

In a Facebook post, Oleg Nikolenko, the Spokesman of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to cancel Russian visas for Georgian citizens and resume flights should be seen as political compensation for Georgia’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia, which were imposed in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Nikolenko likened the situation to a deal with the devil, stressing: “And in a deal with the devil, as you know, the devil wins.”

Nikolenko cautioned: “In 2008, Russian planes had already arrived in Georgia to bomb civilians. Now they plan to bomb the European future of Georgians”. He stressed that Russia’s intentions were not to promote Georgia’s prosperity, development or integration into the European Union and NATO. Instead, Moscow wants to create conditions that prevent progress, as demonstrated by Russia’s absorption of the sovereignty and independence of Belarus.

Nikolenko expressed his belief that Georgian politicians and the population, who have repeatedly voiced their stance publicly, including through protests, will reject the aggressor’s policy.

MEP Thijs Reuten took to Twitter to express his concerns about the Georgian government’s policy, warning:” government’s policy will ultimately lead to dependency on Putin’s Russia and sacrifices hard fought freedoms”. In his tweet, Reuten used the hashtag #NoToRussianFlights to emphasize his stance.

Maaike van Koldam, the Dutch Ambassador to Georgia expressed agreement with the European Union’s statements concerning the resumption of flights to Russia saying: “Regarding flights to Russia, the European Union issued two statements, the Netherlands is a member of the European Union, and of course I agree with these statements of the European Union, which expresses concern about the resumption of flights, because the European Union expects from Georgia, as far as possible, to be in line with the foreign policy of the European Union. It also expresses concern about the safety of flights, so we share this statement of the European Union”.

Also Read:

• 23/05/2023  – US State Department Re-iterates Concern about Direct Flights between Georgia and Russia

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