President: wedding of Russian citizens won’t take place in Georgia, “family left country”
At the briefing, after a protest outside Kvareli Lake Resort, the President emphasised that Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri “had pledged” the wedding would not take place today in Georgia. Photo via Presidential Administration
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Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday said the wedding of Russian citizens would not take place in Georgia, noting the family had already left the country.
Zourabichvili was commenting on the information spread by the local media on Friday, which alleged that the sanctioned daughter of Russian official Lavrov and her husband were staying in Kvareli Lake Resort and the hotel would be hosting the wedding party of Lavrov’s family members.
The Kvareli Lake Resort issued a statement later on Friday regarding the alleged accusations, rejecting it as “misinformation” and explaining no guests were staying in the hotel under the name of Lavrov.
At the briefing, after a protest outside Kvareli Lake Resort, the President emphasised that Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri “had pledged” the wedding would not take place today in Georgia.
She also announced a personal boycott to the local airline Georgian Airways, which launched direct flights between the Georgian and the Russian capitals today. Zourabichvili also called on Georgian authorities to “urgently” apply the lists of the sanctioned persons used by the partner countries to avoid the entry of such individuals into the country.
Georgian Police arrested 16 individuals for administrative offences during a protest outside Kvareli Lake Resort in Georgia's east, the local media outlet Interpressnews said on Saturday.
Irakli Karkashadze, the Director of the United Airports of Georgia, on Saturday said “none of" Russia's airlines or aircraft, sanctioned for its invasion of Ukraine, would be served at Georgian airports after the resumption of direct flights between the countries this week.
The Georgian Civil Aviation Agency on Monday issued a permit for the Russian airline Azimuth to operate daily flights between Russia and Georgia starting on Friday, following last week’s controversial lifting of air connections between the countries by the Kremlin.
Georgian Police have arrested six individuals protesting the landing of the first jet of a Russian airline at Tbilisi International Airport on Friday since the Kremlin’s move last week to resume direct flights and lift visa restrictions with Georgia.
Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on Sunday said the leader of the Droa opposition party, Elene Khoshtaria, who had been detained for administrative offences on Saturday, refused to meet with the representative of the Public Defender’s office.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday said imposing sanctions on family members of politicians was inconsistent with human rights standards, citing that as a legal state, Georgia could only sanction individuals who had “directly” committed criminal acts.
Gia Volski, the ruling Georgian Dream party MP and the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday said the Government imposing sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would lead to “counter-sanctions” that would bring “serious consequences” for the country.
Sixteen individuals who were arrested on Saturday for disobedience of police and petty hooliganism in eastern Georgia while protesting the presence of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s relatives for marriage celebrations were released late on Sunday.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the country’s Government imposing sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would lead to “retaliatory measures” that would ultimately “threaten the security” of the country.
The Political Council of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Monday said positions taken by President Salome Zourabichvili on domestic politics over the recent period were “characterised by extreme non-objectivity and political bias”, but noted the party’s stance was that it should “refrain on principle” from criticising her.
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said his party was “refusing to respond” to President Salome Zourabichvili’s critical comments on the current Government over the recent years due to its “respect of the Presidential institute” and “national interests”.