Kremlin chief Putin wants to get closer to Georgia again. But the resumption of air traffic to Russia has sparked protests.
After the reopening of air traffic, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Georgia a concession in long-strained relations. “We are ready to go our part of the way, are taking accommodating steps and will continue to do so depending on how our partners react,” the Kremlin chief said at a meeting with Russian businessmen on Friday, according to the state news agency TASS. However, the protests in Georgia shocked him, he added.
relationships very strained
President Salome Zurabishvili also sharply criticized the government’s course. Russia still occupies parts of Georgia. A concession to Russia will not make the big neighbors give up the occupied territories, she said on Friday, according to the Georgian media. She wished Ukraine success in its defense against the Russian invasion.
Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have been strained, especially since Russia waged war against the small Black Sea country in 2008. At that time, diplomatic relations were also terminated.
To this day, Moscow supports the seceded Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and has its own troops stationed in the region. The cautious rapprochement between Moscow and Tbilisi came to an end in 2019 when riots broke out in the Caucasus republic after a Russian politician appeared in the Georgian parliament.
