Protests against arrival of Russian-organised cruise in Batumi “provocative”, “harmful” - FM
Ilia Darchiashvili highlighted Tbilisi had acted in “full compliance” with international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine last year. Photo: Ilia Darchiashvili’s Twitter
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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.
Commenting on the arrival of the vessel that originated in Sochi and visited one of Turkey’s ports before docking in Batumi on Monday, Darchiashvili said there should be “no difference” between visitors to the country arriving by sea or air, in reference to flights being operated between Russia and Georgia.
In his press comments, he said the protests - which involved domestic opposition, civil society groups and ordinary citizens - aimed at “hampering the tourism sector” and “sparking an unrest” in the country.
Our country is developing economically, tourism is developing, and it is incomprehensible to express this type of aggression to a specific [group of] people”, Darchiashvili stressed.
He highlighted his Government had acted in “full compliance” with international sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine last year, and said “not a single case” of Georgia’s territory or institutions being used for their circumvention had been revealed so far.
Thus, the protests serve the only goal of hampering the tourism development. I urge everyone to refrain from such actions”, he added.
The Georgian law enforcement on Monday arrested 19 demonstrators for disobeying police at a protest in Batumi port.
Guram Guramishvili, the Georgian Deputy Economy Minister, on Sunday said the cruise ship was sailing under the Palau flag and was not under any sanctions, with the comment following a statement by the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, which on Thursday said the cruise ship had arrived in Batumi from Turkey.
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 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”.
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.
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 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.