Peter Stano, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Commission described Georgia’s decision to resume flights to and from Russia as “regrettable,” and urged the Georgian authorities to align with international sanctions on Russia.

“We regret Georgia’s decision to resume flights with Russia following Russia’s decision to lift the air travel ban last week. Due to the illegal Russian war against Ukraine, the EU and a number of other countries have sanctioned Russian aviation, and do not allow flights from, to or over Russia.

This step raises concerns in terms of Georgia’s EU path and its commitment to align with the EU in foreign policy as per the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.

Regrettably, Georgia’s alignment rate with EU CFSP decisions and declarations has gone from a low 44% last year to only 31% so far this year.

Moreover, we recall that the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has raised significant concerns over the safety of Russian aircraft,” he said.

On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin cancelled the ban on direct flights of Russian airlines and the sale of tours to Georgia that had been in force since 2019. By another decree, Russia lifted a visa requirement for Georgians.