The European Union has once again called on Georgia to join global sanctions against Russia in the aviation sector, according to a statement by Peter Stano, spokesman for the High Representative of the European Union and Vice President of the European Commission, Joseph Borrell.
According to Stano, the European Union will take into account the decision of the Russian government to lift the ban on air travel with Georgia.
“In connection with the illegal aggression of Russia against Ukraine, the European Union and a number of other countries imposed sanctions on Russian aviation and banned flights from Russia and over the territory of Russia.
The European Union is calling on Georgia, aspiring to become an EU candidate country, to join the EU and other countries’ aviation sanctions against Russia and to be vigilant against any possible attempts to circumvent the sanctions.
In addition, amid significant security concerns that the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has informed Russia of, Georgia should not allow unsafe Russian aircraft into its territory.
Due to EU sanctions, 95% of the Russian air fleet no longer has the ability to upgrade and modernize its aircraft, which is necessary to comply with international technical and safety standards,” Stano said.
On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a document on the abolition of the visa regime for citizens of Georgia and the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia.
An exception to the visa-free regime is “citizens entering the Russian Federation for work or for a period of more than 90 days, including for the purpose of obtaining education.”
The visa regime between Russia and Georgia has been operating unilaterally since 2000, and direct flights have been discontinued since July 2019.
