Will Russian "Aeroflot" make Flights to Sukhumi?

• 01.20.2015, 16:15
•  EEU,  Region,  World

Saakashvili party’s anti-Russian moods continue and this time it has accused the Georgian Government for going into compromises with Russia giving a "green light" to such companies as "Aeroflot".  As Новости-Грузия reports the member of the "United National Movement" Zurab Japaridze declared that the Russian airlines, especially those that belong to the Government will enter into the Georgian market with dumping prices thus giving Russia leverage over Georgia, which will be used "against Georgia" at the right time.

Answering to what was said by the "United National Movement", the Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for settling relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze rejected that their agreement with the Russian air company "Aeroflot" means compromising Russians, reminding that it was during the rule of UNM that "many objects of strategic importance were sold to Russians. Georgia is interested in having many foreign companies in the aviation market, because this will boost tourism and the prices will be cheaper. "At the same time the parity principle should be maintained to protect the interests of our companies", - added Abashidze.

Of course, an agreement with a Russian air company would raise a question whether there would be flights to those parts of Georgia that are considered to be "disputed territories" and with one of which, particularly with Abkhazia Russia has signed an Agreement on Strategic Partnership and with the other – South Ossetia, it is said that a similar agreement is being prepared.

Saakashvili’s party announced that Aeroflot will make flights to Sukhumi, which will "break the law on occupied territories". Abashidze’s answer to this was the following: "If Aeroflot breaks the law on "Occupied Territories", I will be the first who will announce about it and will demand to apply that law in respect with Aeroflot".

Thus we see that irrespective of the so called "not good" relations with Russia, Georgia is ready for the sake of the development of the country, to work with Russia.