European Council President Tusk: Russian ban on flights to Georgia is unjustified
European Commission Head Donald Tusk and Georgian President Salome Zurabihsvili met on the sidelines of the Batumi Conference. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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European Council President Donald Tusk says that the decision of Russia to ban direct flights to Georgia was “disproportionate and unjustified.”
Russia's recent decision to ban flights to Georgia is unjustified and disproportionate. But your country has weathered external pressure before and will do so again this time. The EU stands with Georgia in solidarity and with full commitment to your sovereignty and territorial integrity,"Tusk stated during his meeting with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on the sidelines of the 16th Batumi International Conference.
Georgia is an important partner and friend of the EU. We discussed how to further develop the strong EU-Georgia relations.
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) July 11, 2019
My statement after meeting @Zourabichvili_S https://t.co/RTsYwNgFDC pic.twitter.com/h8dhaWig50
He said that Georgia has shown “devotion” to democratic reforms and the rule of law many times.
Trust towards the court system is increasing and Georgia is becoming far more attractive for investments,” Tusk said.
He welcomed the decision of the Georgian Dream ruling party to conduct the 2020 parliamentary elections with the fully proportional vote.
#BatumiConferenceEaP10 pic.twitter.com/qu9H0ESqQl
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) July 11, 2019
Speaking about ongoing, anti-occupation rallies in Tbilisi, Tusk said that “democracy is for development and not to trigger civil rivalry and wars.”
He said that Georgia should wait for solidarity from Brussels.
My Brussels experience tells me that you can count on European solidarity as long as your Georgian solidarity lasts, and as long as you respect your common strategic political goals. Democracy is a constant debate and not a civil war. Therefore, everything is in your hands.
EU-Georgia relations are built on common values, he said.