Parliament Speaker: Both banning, resuming flights were Russia’s “unilateral” decisions, Georgia had no influence

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said both banning and now resuming flights with Georgia had been “unilateral” decisions of the Russian Government and Georgia had neither influence nor “any kind of leverage” over the matter.

Papuashvili was responding to the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest comments made to the media, in which the latter said "I thought the leadership of Georgia had repeatedly raised an issue of lifting visa requirements and restoring normal air traffic, and we took this step”.

In 2019 when Russia suspended flights with Georgia, Western colleagues, as well as ambassadors in Georgia, called on Russia to lift “this sanction”, the Parliament Speaker noted, adding Russia had at present made the “unilateral” decision to resume flights and lift “unfair sanctions” on Georgia.

In general, it is good [removing sanctions], everyone should lift the sanctions imposed on Georgian citizens”, he stressed.