Georgian Airways resumed direct flights to Russia on Saturday
Large-scale protests in Tbilisi after flights between Russia and Georgia were resumed. The first race, which landed in the Georgian capital after a four-year hiatus, was greeted by protesters with signs reading: "You are not welcome!".
Protesters also waved flags of Ukraine, in addition to those of Georgia and the European Union. They clashed with law enforcement, mobilized to guard the airport, and several demonstrators were detained by the police.
The first flight of Azimuth Airlines took place on the eve, a few days after the governments of Tbilisi and Moscow approved the resumption of flights.
Earlier, the pro-European president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, denounced the intention to restore flights between Moscow and Tbilisi and described it as "another provocation from Russia". The decision to resume flights was also contested by more than 100 organizations from Georgia, who considers this measure "a direct sabotage" of the pro-European aspirations of this country.
Currently, there are no official diplomatic relations between the two countries. Russia and Georgia were embroiled in a war in 2008, and a fifth of Georgia's internationally recognized territory remains under Russian occupation. Data provided by the Government of Georgia shows that one million citizens live in the Russian Federation and can benefit from these flights. But, according to the Russian registers, only 114 thousand Georgians would live on their territory.
