Ukrainian Charge D'affaires summoned to Georgia’s foreign office over Ukraine’s sanctions on Georgian Airways
Georgian Airways and its founder, Tamaz Gaiashvili, were included in the list of 190 individuals and 290 companies sanctioned by the Ukrainian Government with a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Oleksandr Shulha, the Ukrainian Charge D'affaires in Georgia, was summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry on Monday after the decision of Ukraine's Government to put the flagship Georgian Airways carrier on its list of sanctioned companies, the local media said.
Georgian Airways and its founder, Tamaz Gaiashvili, were included in the list of 190 individuals and 290 companies sanctioned by the Ukrainian Government with a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
The development followed decrees by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May to lift the 2019-imposed ban on Russian airlines operating flights to Georgia and cancel visa requirements for Georgian citizens to visit the country.
Following the decrees - which were followed by widespread criticism by Georgia’s domestic opposition and some Western partners of the country against the restoration of flights between Russia and Georgia - Georgian Airways became the second airline, after Russia’s Azimuth, to receive a permit to carry out flights between destinations in the two countries.
In their response, Georgian authorities have said the flights are only permitted to be operated by Russian airlines not on the list of international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said the decision of the Ukrainian Government to put the flagship Georgian Airways carrier on its list of sanctioned companies was an “entirely political decision”.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday pledged “not a single" airline or aircraft sanctioned for Russia's invasion of Ukraine would be allowed to operate in Georgia following the resumption of direct flights between the countries this week.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the Georgian authorities would ensure airlines sanctioned for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would not be allowed to operate at Georgian airports, following the Kremlin’s lifting last week of its ban on flights with Georgia.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said the country’s authorities were following the “strictest” examples of countries operating flights with Russia while observing international sanctions placed on the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday highlighted “two major lies” of an alleged “vicious” campaign against Georgia’s democratic image over the past year and a half, in a social media message that noted the controversy over the imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s alleged torture in detention and the alleged evasion of sanctions imposed on Russia through the territory of Georgia.