Putin’s decree and warning from Washington – The State Department of the United States of America once again warns Tbilisi about the expected sanctions in case of resumption of direct air traffic between Russia and Georgia.
The statement is distributed by the agency Accentnews.
The text reads: “A number of Western countries, including the United States, prohibit Russian aircraft from entering their airspace. If direct flights between Russia and Georgia are resumed, this will cause our concern due to the possible imposition of sanctions on Georgian airlines that serve aircraft subject to import and export controls.”
“The entire Western society has distanced itself from this brutal regime – now is not the time to deepen relations with Russia. For the Georgian people, it is most likely better for Putin to withdraw his troops from the 20 percent of Georgian territory occupied by Russia, than to restore direct flights or change the visa regime,” said the official comment provided to “Accent” by a representative of the US State Department.
For the record, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia canceled the recommendation for Russian citizens, according to which the agency advised them to refrain from traveling to Georgia, said Maria Zakharova, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
The above decision was simultaneously followed by the resumption of direct flights to Georgia by Russia and the cancellation of the visa regime.
By Ana Dumbadze
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