The President of Georgia boycotts her country’s airlines after the return of flights with Russia

Written by Reem Abdel Hamid

Sunday, May 21, 2023 12:22 PM

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili announced a boycott of local airlines, which operated a flight from Tbilisi to Moscow on May 20, the first to be facilitated since Flight recovery between Georgia and the Russian Federation.

According to what was reported by Bloomberg Agency, Zurabishvili said that the local Tabaran company only cares about wealth, and that in order to achieve its goals, Norwegian Airlines wants to take advantage of the new reality, which is unacceptable to a very large segment of our people.

The president assured that she would refrain from using the plane as long as it was in the hands of Georgian Airlines, in order not to enrich the company.

Four years ago, flights between Russia and Georgia were suspended after a series of anti-Moscow protests in Georgia. In January 2023, the two sides talked for the first time about resuming flights, a move that was widely condemned in Ukraine.

In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens and officially allowed direct flights to the country. In Georgia, this proposal was approved, and soon the Russian aircraft company Azimt and Georgian Airlines obtained permission to fly.

For its part, the US State Department said that such a situation raises increasing concern and warned the Georgian authorities of imposing sanctions.