Georgian Airways says Zurabishvili may become persona non grata in Georgia

The founder of Georgian Airways, Tamaz Gaiashvili, said that Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili could become persona non grata for the whole country, and not just on the airline’s flights.

“I thought that the president would establish good relations with neighboring countries through negotiations, but I did not hear that she did anything that could benefit Georgia in its relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan or Russia,” said the head of the airline during the briefing (quote from RIA Novosti).

According to Gaiashvili, he fears that Zurabishvili may become persona non grata for the whole of Georgia because of her critical statements about the foreign policy of the country’s government.

The conflict between the government and the airline with the President of Georgia began after the signing on May 10 by Russian President Vladimir Putin of a decree on the resumption of air traffic with the republic, which was terminated in 2019. In addition, by a separate decree, on May 15, Putin canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens.

After that, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called the decision of the Russian authorities a provocation and unacceptable against the backdrop of the continuation of the military operation in Ukraine. At the same time, the government supported the decision of the Russian authorities. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that anything that makes “life, movement and business easier for our citizens is positive and welcome.”

The first Russian company to make a direct flight between Moscow and Tbilisi was Azimuth. From the Georgian side, the same route, only from the capital of Georgia, was made by Georgian Airways on May 20.

On the same day, Zurabishvili statedthat she would not use the services of Georgian Airways, and called on Georgian citizens to join the boycott. In her opinion, the carrier is only interested in profit and now he wants to take advantage of the “new reality, which is unacceptable for a very large part of the population” of Georgia. In response to this, the company announcedthat they will not let the Georgian president on their planes.