Yuri Barzikin: There are no Preconditions for Lifting the Flight Ban

The issue of the flight ban, applied by the Russian Federation towards Georgia upon the decision of the President Vladimir Putin, which came into force on July 8, still remains on the top of the agenda of the two countries, as it has affected Russian travelers planning to visit Georgia this summer and caused fluctuations in the Georgian economy.

On August 13, Izvestia, one of the Russian media platforms published an article, where it is said that according to Yuri Barzikin, Vice President of the Russian Tourism Industry Union, the flight ban is to remain.

“According to him [Yuri Barzikin], citizens of the Russian Federation continue traveling to Georgia via land transport or through third countries. There are no preconditions for resuming flights between the two states observed currently, and are not expected for the near future,” reads the article.

Barzikin told Izvestia that the flight ban may not be lifted because “Under the current situation, there are certainly high risks for Russian citizens in Georgia.” In addition, he mentioned the financial loss that the Georgian hospitality industry is expected to receive as a result of the lack of Russian tourist inflow.

Izvesita also notes that the representatives of the diplomatic circles state, the air traffic will be suspended between Russia and Georgia at least until the Russian parliamentary elections, which are set to take place in October 2020, if the situation does not change radically before.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya