Restoring diplomatic relations with Moscow is not currently something Tbilisi is considering, Georgian Minister of Finance Lasha Khutsishvili said on Monday, TASS reports.
According to him, "the matter cannot be put on the agenda" as long as the issue of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are viewed by Tbilisi as part of its territory, remains unresolved. "Thus, this matter is irrelevant based on the current situation," Khutsishvili said at a briefing in response to a question.
The minister pointed out that the establishment of additional transport corridors between Georgia and Russia, including through Abkhazia, was also not on the agenda.
On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree waiving visas for Georgian citizens starting on May 15. Another presidential decree canceled a 2019 ban on flights to and from Georgia and the sales of tours to Georgia. Russia’s Azimuth air carrier and Georgia’s Georgian Airways have already begun to operate flights between the two countries’ capitals.
Tbilisi severed diplomatic relations with Moscow following Russia’s recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.
