“It takes two to tango” - Karasin on the resumption of air traffic between Russia and Georgia

Resumption of flights Tbilisi-Moscow

Grigory Karasin, head of the International Affairs Committee of the Council of the Russian Federation, said that resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia is being considered.

“Of course, we will discuss it, exchange ideas with each other. But there is a saying that it takes two to tango. If one hesitates, there is no need to use force. There is a possibility, but what the solution will be depends not only on us,” Karasin said.

Russia stopped direct flights with Georgia in 2019 in response to mass protests in Tbilisi against the appearance of Russian State Duma deputy Sergei Gavrilov in the Georgian parliament.

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Earlier, at the final press conference in 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed hope for the soon restoration of direct flights between Russia and Georgia and said that the 10% growth of the Georgian economy is largely due to ties with Russia.

Sergei Lavrov said that there are necessary mechanisms for a dialogue between Georgia, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, in which “Russia also participates.” According to him, Moscow is in favor of building relations between Georgia and the occupied territories.

Lavrov also said that Western countries and institutions are trying to “hold hostage” the events taking place in Ukraine in the Geneva format, which, in his opinion, “is caused by political grievances and whims.”

At the same press conference, Sergei Lavrov praised the Georgian government, saying that the country was “resisting pressure from the West.”

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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili does not welcome the resumption of flights with Russia.

“At a time when all of our partner countries, in word or deed, express maximum solidarity with the selfless struggle of Ukraine, for me and, I am sure, for the majority of society, the position of the government and the ruling party, to put it mildly, is incomprehensible,” she wrote on Facebook.

On March 25, 2022, Karasin praised the Georgian authorities for their position on the Ukrainian issue. Karasin called Georgia’s reaction to the anti-Russian sanctions of the West “balanced” and said that “this fact will not go unnoticed” in Russia.

Karasin said that in 2012, after the Georgian Dream party came to power, Russia has become Georgia’s second most important trading partner. All restrictions on Georgian goods were lifted, and Georgia’s exports to Russia increased fourteen times.