U.S. Says May Take 'Additional Measures' If Georgia Resumes Flights to Russia

Washington D.C./17.05.23/Turan:   The United States may take 'additional steps' in response to potential resumption of flights between Georgia and Russia, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we’ll take additional steps, as needed," Vedant Patel, State Department's principal deputy spokesperson, said on Tuesday in response to TURAN's questions about Georgian Airways's decision to resume direct flights to Russia this week.

"If direct flights take place between Russia and Georgia, that would be of increasing concern – not just to the United States and other Western countries but as well as companies that may be operating out of Georgian airports, if they service aircrafts that are subject to import and exports and other matters," Patel said.

He went on to add, "The entire Western community has distanced itself from the Russian Federation, and we believe that now is not the time to increase engagement with Russia."

Washington has "been very clear" about its concerns, as Patel put it: "... We’ve been very clear about the fact that we also have taken steps to prohibit Russian aircraft from entering our airspace, as have many Western countries."

The Kremlin last week lifted the ban on flights to Georgia and canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens. Dozens in Tbilisi on Tuesday staged a protest against the move.

Alex Raufoglu