EU ambassadors sent an appeal-demarche to the Georgian government in connection with flights to Russia

2023/05/38938-1685431336.jpg
Read: 703     14:00     30 Май 2023    

The second diplomatic démarche this year was delivered to the Georgian government by EU ambassadors led by head of mission Pawel Herczynski.

This time the appeal on behalf of 27 EU countries is connected with the restoration of direct air links with Russia. The meeting was held with Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister Levan Davitashvili.

· In diplomatic practice, a demarche is an extraordinary form of treatment. Earlier, in February, Pawel Herczynski had already delivered an official request in the format of demarche to the Minister of Justice of Georgia. The request expressed concern about the condition of the jailed third president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Representatives of the EU and Georgia agreed that there was "an open and honest conversation" at the end of the meeting, but commented the essence of the problem in different ways.

Herczynski: “The political moment has been missed”. 

"I was instructed to convey to the Georgian authorities the position of the European Union, which has been agreed in the capitals of the 27 EU countries, and at the headquarters in Brussels.... We conveyed that we regret the Georgian government's decision to accept direct flights with Russia.

This decision goes against the unanimous decision of the 27 EU member states not to have direct flights with Russia and not to allow Russian aircraft to fly in EU skies. We also expressed concern that this contradicts our determination to isolate Russia and force it to change its behavior," Herczynski said.

He noted that Georgian representatives referred to the unilateral decision of the Russian side to restore the flights.

"It's true, it was Russia's decision, but it also required the approval of the Georgian government", Herczynski said. According to him, Levan Davitashvili responded by reiterating the Georgian government's earlier argument that unsanctioned airlines don't fly into the country.

"Unfortunately, the political moment was missed here when the EU banned all airlines from flying to and through the EU", Herczynski said.

Levan Davitashvili: "We are not like everyone else" 

Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili said that the situation in Georgia cannot be considered in the same context as in other countries, and he discussed this issue with representatives of the EU.

"Of course, we may have disagreements on some issues. But our situation cannot be equated with that of the EU member states. First of all, Georgia is not yet a member of the European Union, although we have applied and are waiting for progress... Also, we should take into account that the context of Georgia is really different, our situation is specific, whether in terms of security or economic relations", Davitashvili said.

According to him, "Georgia is in a particularly difficult situation because it has a direct border with the Russian Federation and 20% of Georgia's territory is occupied".

"So, Georgia's context is different from that of the EU member states, this was openly discussed with the ambassadors", Davitashvili said.

He noted that he also informed the EU representatives about the observance of the sanctions regime on the land border with Russia and what additional measures are being taken at the new "connection points" after the resumption of flights - in the airports of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi.

"We also talked about the fact that the positions of the EU member states on trade relations are not clear today. We were very interested to know what the prognosis is, what the attitude will be towards trade relations", Davitashvili said. At the same time, he stated that some EU countries have significantly increased trade with Russia since the beginning of the war, while some have decreased it.

newsgeorgia.ge





Tags:



EU ambassadors sent an appeal-demarche to the Georgian government in connection with flights to Russia

2023/05/38938-1685431336.jpg
Read: 704     14:00     30 Май 2023    

The second diplomatic démarche this year was delivered to the Georgian government by EU ambassadors led by head of mission Pawel Herczynski.

This time the appeal on behalf of 27 EU countries is connected with the restoration of direct air links with Russia. The meeting was held with Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister Levan Davitashvili.

· In diplomatic practice, a demarche is an extraordinary form of treatment. Earlier, in February, Pawel Herczynski had already delivered an official request in the format of demarche to the Minister of Justice of Georgia. The request expressed concern about the condition of the jailed third president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Representatives of the EU and Georgia agreed that there was "an open and honest conversation" at the end of the meeting, but commented the essence of the problem in different ways.

Herczynski: “The political moment has been missed”. 

"I was instructed to convey to the Georgian authorities the position of the European Union, which has been agreed in the capitals of the 27 EU countries, and at the headquarters in Brussels.... We conveyed that we regret the Georgian government's decision to accept direct flights with Russia.

This decision goes against the unanimous decision of the 27 EU member states not to have direct flights with Russia and not to allow Russian aircraft to fly in EU skies. We also expressed concern that this contradicts our determination to isolate Russia and force it to change its behavior," Herczynski said.

He noted that Georgian representatives referred to the unilateral decision of the Russian side to restore the flights.

"It's true, it was Russia's decision, but it also required the approval of the Georgian government", Herczynski said. According to him, Levan Davitashvili responded by reiterating the Georgian government's earlier argument that unsanctioned airlines don't fly into the country.

"Unfortunately, the political moment was missed here when the EU banned all airlines from flying to and through the EU", Herczynski said.

Levan Davitashvili: "We are not like everyone else" 

Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili said that the situation in Georgia cannot be considered in the same context as in other countries, and he discussed this issue with representatives of the EU.

"Of course, we may have disagreements on some issues. But our situation cannot be equated with that of the EU member states. First of all, Georgia is not yet a member of the European Union, although we have applied and are waiting for progress... Also, we should take into account that the context of Georgia is really different, our situation is specific, whether in terms of security or economic relations", Davitashvili said.

According to him, "Georgia is in a particularly difficult situation because it has a direct border with the Russian Federation and 20% of Georgia's territory is occupied".

"So, Georgia's context is different from that of the EU member states, this was openly discussed with the ambassadors", Davitashvili said.

He noted that he also informed the EU representatives about the observance of the sanctions regime on the land border with Russia and what additional measures are being taken at the new "connection points" after the resumption of flights - in the airports of Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi.

"We also talked about the fact that the positions of the EU member states on trade relations are not clear today. We were very interested to know what the prognosis is, what the attitude will be towards trade relations", Davitashvili said. At the same time, he stated that some EU countries have significantly increased trade with Russia since the beginning of the war, while some have decreased it.

newsgeorgia.ge





Tags: