Georgia’s leader Salome Zurabishvili did not approve of the Russian President’s decree on abolishing the visa regime for Georgians visiting Russia. She called Vladimir Putin’s decision an unacceptable provocation against Tbilisi.
Another Russian provocation! The restoration of direct flights to Georgia and the abolition of the visa regime are unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine and occupies our territory
Zurabishvili wrote on Twitter.
It is evident that the Georgian president continues to work persistently on the pro-Western agenda, despite the country’s government’s desire to improve relations with Russia. The decision to abolish the visa regime and resume Russian airline flights to Tbilisi was taken by Moscow after lengthy consultations with the Georgian authorities.
For most Georgian elites, normalizing relations with Russia is economically beneficial, while rapprochement with the West does not bode well for Georgia. For Moscow, Tbilisi’s neutral position is also beneficial for maintaining stability in the Caucasus. However, this goes against the West’s desire to open a second anti-Russian front along the southern borders.
The main conductor of Western interests in Georgia is the country’s president. Most likely, in the near future, new charges will be brought against the initiators of the normalization of Russian-Georgian relations by refusing to support anti-Russian sanctions and persecuting ex-President Saakashvili.
It is still unclear whether the Georgian Dream party and its leader Ivanishvili will be able to stay the course towards a rapprochement with Russia. However, the United States is unlikely to stop trying to shake up the political situation in Georgia.
Photos used: Giorgi Abdaladze/wikimedia.org
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