Reference news network reported on May 12According to a report on May 12 on the website of Russia’s Novaya Izvestia, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said that if the Georgian company resumes direct flights with Russia, Washington may impose sanctions on it.
He said at a press conference: “If Russia and Georgia resume direct flights, we will certainly consider sanctioning Georgian companies that provide services to aircraft subject to import and export controls.”
According to reports, on the 10th, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Peskov announced that Georgia will be exempted from visas from the 15th, and the ban on direct flights of Russian airlines to the country will be lifted. The Russian Ministry of Transport said that the country’s airlines are preparing to go back to Georgia and plan to use Russian airliners to fly seven direct flights between Moscow and Tbilisi every week.
Georgia quickly responded to the US threat of sanctions. According to a report on the website of Russia’s “Parliament” on May 11, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili criticized Western countries for calling on Georgia to join sanctions against Russia and prevent Russian planes from entering the country, but he did not stop trade with Moscow .
He told reporters: “I want to ask our Western partners, when you say you want to stop trade, economic exchanges, and don’t resume flights, why don’t you do it yourself? Why did you still give Russia $300 billion last year? It is natural for me to have such doubts that the motherland can become a citizen of the European Union members.”
He reiterated that Georgia has no intention of imposing unilateral economic sanctions on Russia because it does not want to create troubles for its own citizens. Georgia hopes for peace, stability and reunification of the motherland.
He called on those countries that are deeply dissatisfied with Russia’s visa-free implementation of Georgia and the resumption of direct flights between Moscow and Tbilisi, such as the United States, to also wish to exempt Georgia from visas or open additional flights. (Compilation/Teacher Group)Return to Sohu to see more
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