Cruise ship sailing under Palau flag that entered Batumi port not sanctioned by any country - Deputy Economy Minister
In his comments, Guramishvili noted the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, in cooperation with the Revenue Service, was “regularly” monitoring ships and shipowners entering the country’s ports for compliance with the international sanctions. Photo via Economy Ministry
Tweet 
Share
Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Guram Guramishvili on Sunday said the cruise ship Astoria Grande, which had entered Georgia’s Batumi port on Thursday, had been sailing under the Palau flag and was not sanctioned, as part of the international sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, by “any country”.
In his comments, Guramishvili noted the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, in cooperation with the Revenue Service, was “regularly” monitoring ships and shipowners entering the country’s ports for compliance with the international sanctions.
The Deputy Minister also stressed that tourism was an “important” sector for the country, contributing greatly to the economic growth, and added tourists could enter the country by road and air transport, as well as sea traffic.
The Maritime Transport Agency on Thursday said the cruise ship had arrived in Batumi port from Turkey and was free from international sanctions.
The body’s comments followed the report of Russia’s state-owned television channel earlier this week announcing that the ship, which had departed from Sochi on Saturday would include a new stop in Batumi.
The arrival of the cruise vessel was protested at the Batumi port on Thursday by locals and representatives of the domestic opposition.
Astoria Grande, a cruise ship that has entered Georgia’s Batumi port, has arrived in the harbour from Turkey and is free from the international sanctions imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the Maritime Transport Agency of the country said on Thursday.
The Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia on Tuesday said the scheduled entry of Astoria Grande, a cruise ship sailing under the flag of Palau, in Batumi port in the country’s west was free from international sanctions imposed against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday told the ongoing Qatar Economic Forum in Doha his Government’s “clear” position that airline companies sanctioned for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would not operate in Georgia.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Monday said even though the country had not imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the country’s authorities were “making sure” its territory would not be used for circumvention of the international sanctions for the war.
The Georgian law enforcement on Monday arrested 19 demonstrators for disobeying police and petty hooliganism at a protest against the entry of a cruise ship in the country’s Black Sea city of Batumi that carried Russian citizens in a cruise organised by a Russian channel on the backdrop of Moscow’s ingoing aggression against Ukraine, the Public Defender's Office said.
Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Monday said protests against the entry of a cruise ship in the country’s Black Sea city of Batumi that carried Russian citizens in a cruise organised by a Russian channel on the backdrop of Moscow’s ingoing aggression against Ukraine were a “deliberate provocation” and “harmful” to the domestic economy.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said citizens of the country “do not need a guardian”, in a comment that followed a remark by the United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan on protests in the Black Sea city of Batumi on Monday against the arrival of a cruise ship that carried Russian citizens and originated in Sochi.
Batumi City Court on Tuesday ruled to release 15 individuals from a group arrested for disobeying police at a protest against the arrival of a Russian-organised cruise in Georgia's Black Sea city of Batumi on Thursday.