US Warns Georgia of Possible Sanctions

The US State Department has warned official Tbilisi of possible sanctions if Georgia resumes direct flights with Russia. This was reported by the State Department to the Georgian media outlet "Accent."

"Western countries, including the US, prohibit Russian aircraft from crossing their airspace. If direct flights between Russia and Georgia are resumed, it will cause us concern, as sanctions may be imposed on Georgian airlines operating aircraft subject to import and export control," the statement said.

According to the State Department, now is not the time for Georgia to deepen relations with Russia.

Recall that on May 10, Russia canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens, which had been in place since 2000. This came after Georgia unilaterally canceled visas at the beginning of 2012.

Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia after the August 2008 conflict when Moscow recognized the independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia). Air communication between the two countries was unilaterally suspended by Moscow in 2019 due to massive protests in Tbilisi that occurred after Russian State Duma deputy Sergey Gavrilov appeared in front of the Georgian parliament.