The founder of Georgian Airways urged Georgia to impose retaliatory sanctions against Ukraine

The Georgian government should take retaliatory measures against Ukraine, which has imposed sanctions against the Georgian airline Georgian Airways and its founder, Tamaz Gaiashvili. About it how informs local portal Primetime, Gaiashvili himself said.

“I hope that this unfair and unjustified decision of the President of Ukraine will be followed by an immediate and mirror response from the Georgian government,” he said.

Gaiashvili explained that the Ukrainian sanctions against the company are absurd and political in nature, since the regulator, and not the airline itself, issued permission to fly to Russia. In addition, many airlines fly to Russia, including those from Turkey, Arab states, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, “all of Asia and Central Asia.” However, Kyiv does not impose sanctions against them.

“I am not surprised by today’s decision of the President of Ukraine. I am surprised by the orchestrated applause of the opposition groups in Georgia,” he added, expressing his disappointment that the opposition groups in the country are happy about the imposition of sanctions against the Georgian national airline.

“As for me personally, since 2003 I am neither the founder nor the CEO of Georgian Airways, I only held the position of the head of the flight service,” he explained.

Earlier on July 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree imposing sanctions against 192 people, most of whom are Russian citizens. Legal entities also fell under the restrictions – a total of 291 companies. The list, among others, included Georgian Airways, as well as Gaiashvili, who was listed as chairman of the board of directors of the company.

On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the resumption of air traffic with Georgia, which was terminated in the summer of 2019. In addition, by a separate decree, on May 15, he canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens. Several airlines from both sides have already received permission to operate flights in this direction. May 20 to Moscow from the Georgian capital for the first time in a long time flew out board Georgian Airways.