President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili is demanding a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the possibility of three-month visas for Russian citizens.
According to her, more control is needed by the state over Russians in the country.
In her view, Russia’s revocation of the visa policy and restoration of direct flights is a provocation.
“The public understands that when Russia takes such steps, it does so based on its own interests. It is a shame that our government has not yet understood and thought about the history and all the examples that exist, that Russia never responds to the concessions of the government with concessions, it responds with something that will complicate the situation, and the government should think about this,” she said.
The President appealed to the government to listen to “the voice of the people, not the power of the people”:
“I am sure that society is united regarding this issue. It isn’t only about candidate status, it’s about national dignity. We must know where this country stands, whose territories are occupied and which stands in solidarity with our Ukrainian friends. This is our position and we must be loyal to this position until the end. This is a public demand.”
Today Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a document on the cancellation of the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023. By the second decree, Putin canceled the ban on air traffic from Russia to Georgia.
According to the document, the exception is “citizens who enter the Russian Federation for employment or for a period of more than 90 days, including for the purpose of education.”
By another decree of Putin, the President of Russia lifted the ban on flights to Georgia for Russian airlines.
According to the document, the order of the President of the Russian Federation dated June 21, 2019, which prohibited Russian airlines from flying between Georgia and Russia, was declared invalid.
