Unrest in Georgia leads to flight ban by Russia

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 22 Jun 2019 by Alex Teddy

On June 20 serious disturbances erupted in Georgia. A Russian politician named Sergei Gavrilov was invited to Georgia as part of an official Russian delegation. He was addressing a conference for Orthodox Christian countries. Some Georgians objected to the Russian politician's presence especially when he sat in the speaker's chair in the Georgian Parliament. Sitting in the speaker's chair was part of the protocol of the occasion. However, some Georgians reacted very badly to this.The President of Georgia previously described Russia as 'an enemy and an occupier'. This is because of the Russian Army's presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. President Putin has announced he will suspend flights between Georgia and Russia starting from July 8. The ban is indefinite. There was no danger associated with flights. The flight ban seems to be a way of punishing the Georgians.Georgia is a country that borders Russia and has only 3 000 000 people. Half a million Georgians are working in Russia. The country was part of the Russian Empire for 250 years. NATO has repeatedly stated that it will allow Georgia to become a member but not yet. Russia does not want yet another NATO member state on it border.

Now read on...

Register to sample a report

Register