EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, on Monday, remarked on Russia’s recent move to restore visa-free travel for Georgians and lift a ban on direct flights between the two countries imposed in 2019, as well as the Georgian government’s response over it, 1tv.ge reports.
Following “a very open and frank conversation” with deputy prime minister, and economy minister, Levan Davitashvili, Herczynski told media outlets that all present EU ambassadors in Tbilisi “expressed our concern that this decision is going against our decision to isolate Russia and to put pressure on Russia in order to change Russian behavior when it comes to the brutal, aggressive war that Russia is still continuing in Ukraine”.
“I was instructed to convey to the Georgian authorities the EU position that the EU position has been agreed by 27 EU capitals in Brussels and I was accompanied by all present EU ambassadors in Tbilisi.
We have conveyed that we regret the decision of the Georgian government to accept direct flights with Russia. We have conveyed that this decision goes against a unanimous decision by all 27 EU member states not to have any direct flights to-from Russia and not to allow the overflight of a Russian airplane on the territory of the EU member states”, the ambassador stated.
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said Georgia would make a decision that serves common European interests when the country joins the EU. Before that, Georgia chose not to join sanctions.
“Georgia is not a member of the European Union yet. We are a sovereign country with European integration aspirations. When we have a status and become an EU member, we, of course, will make decisions that serve common interests,” he said.
