Elizabeth Rood: Georgia is Safe for All Tourists

"The United States is concerned about the disproportionate measures that the Russian government and members of the Duma have been discussing," US Charge d’Affairs, Elizabeth Rood, said, notng that the US calls on Russia to resume flights to and from Georgia, as Georgia "is a safe country for tourists from all over the world." 

“The United States is concerned about the disproportionate measures that the Russian government and members of the Duma discussed in response to the recent developments in Georgia. However, now that the leaders of both countries have expressed commitment to a stable bilateral relationship, we encourage Russia to resume flights to Georgia and back. Here, tourists from all over the world are welcome and safe. We are firmly committed to Georgia’s territorial integrity, and we know that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are integral parts of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” Rood stated.

Flights between Georgia and Russia were banned from July 8 on the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ban on flights was announced after mass demonstrations in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi on June 20. The anger of society was sparked when Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov addressed the participants of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy in the Parliament of Georgia, from the Speaker’s chair, in Russian.

Russia banned flights over "fears for the safety of its citizens."

Photo: US Embassy in Georgia 

By Ana Dumbadze