“Mrs. Zurabishvili declared a boycott of the national air carrier. We declare her a persona non grata until she apologizes to the Georgian people, we will not let her on board,” Georgian Airways President Tamaz Gaiashvili said on Sunday, according to Rustavi 2 television.

On May 10, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled visa requirements for Georgian citizens and lifted a ban on domestic airlines operating flights between the two countries since 2019.

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Moscow’s decision to abolish the visa regime, while Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called it a provocation.

After a four-year break, a Russia’s Azimuth Airline plane arrived in Tbilisi on May 19.

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