PM Gakharia: ‘Nothing threatens the relations of Georgia and EU due to the ban on transport amid COVID-19 pandemic’
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency announced on June 25 that regular international flights will not resume in Georgia until August 1. Photo: 1TV.ge.
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Nothing threatens the relations of Georgia and the European Union due to the ban on transport amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said earlier today.
Flights between Georgia, Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam have been carried out. We will do our best to open borders as soon as possible. Each of our steps are motivated only by the health and security of our citizens. Don’t forget that there are serious explosions of the pandemic in neighboring countries. Georgia has negotiations with each of its partner countries and our relations with the EU have nothing to do with the transport issue”, said Gakharia.
Gakharia also mentioned that the proper behavior of Georgian citizens and, at the same time, the effective control of borders and quarantine zones have led Georgia to the reality that the country now only has new cases of the coronavirus in the single digits.
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency announced on June 25 that regular international flights will not resume in Georgia until August 1.
The agency calls on citizens not to buy tickets until the exact date of the resumption of international flights is not announced by 'official sources'.
The ban on regular flights may be extended until the end of July due to the rapid increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in neighboring countries, Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said earlier today. Turnava mentioned that the main task for the Georgian government is to strengthen the gains made in properly managing the epidemiological situation and protecting the population.
Georgia is on a draft list of countries that will be allowed to enter the European Union starting July 1 when the bloc's international borders are scheduled to open, reports Euronews.
Tourists entering Georgia may be obliged to show documents that they tested negative for Covid-19 with PCR tests in the last 72 hours before arriving in the country, said Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze.
The Georgian government has announced a temporary, two-week closure of its borders for all foreign citizens, with exceptions, to avoid the further spread of the Covid-19 virus. The ban will come into effect starting March 18, at 00:00. The government says that Georgian citizens [and their family members] who want to come back to the country will be able to use the flights of Georgian Airways or Turkish Airlines.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell welcomes the decision of the Council of the European Union with regards to including Georgia in the list of 15 countries to which the EU will be reopening its borders gradually starting today.