Flight to Russia

This Monday, the Russian Government gave permission to a Georgian commercial carrier to carry out the first flight to Russia since the two nations wet through a short war last year, although officials at Georgian Airways claimed that the authorization arrived too late to properly prep the flights.Last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev revealed several moves which would promote the restoration of a amicable relationship between the people of Georgia and Russia, but stressed that as long as Mikheil Saakashvili remained president, there would be no further official contacts possible between the two countries.

Last Monday, it emerged that the transport ministry of Russia had agreed to charter flights being flown by Georgian Airways on December 29 and 30. Timur Khikmatov, a transport ministry representative, said these would represent the first commercial passenger flights since the war.But an official with the Georgian airline said the announcement arrived too late, only allowing 48 hours to organise the flights and sell tickets.

Through a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that the responsibility for this matter would fall on the shoulders of Georgian Government authorities because they themselves took five days before agreeing to the air routes.No officials at the Georgian Government were available for comment on this matter.Last week, Moscow initiated a softening of its stance towards its neighbour by announcing, for the first time since the war, the opening of a major border point between the countries.