Georgia’s largest airline, Georgian Airways, has declared President Salome Zurabishvili persona non grata. The founder and director of the company, Tamaz Gaiashvili, said that he was waiting for an apology from the politician.
“Madam President announced a boycott of her country’s airline, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on September 15 this year and, together with Georgia, has experienced many difficulties,” Gaiashvili quoted Rustavi2 as saying. “We declare her persona non grata de ella and will not let her on board until she apologizes to the Georgian people.”
The head of Georgian Airways highlighted that during the coronavirus pandemic, the company suspended work and was on the verge of bankruptcy, and is now in a stage of recovery.
According to the businessman, while other national airlines received support from the states, his company “received nothing from anyone except criticism.”
“It is amazing why millions of the Georgian budget are spent on aimless trips to foreign countries by a lady who has never done anything good for Georgia in her life,” Gaiashvili said.
On May 10, Vladimir Putin canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens and restored direct flights to the country. On May 20, Georgian Airways operated its first flight from Moscow to Tbilisi since 2019.
In response, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili announced a boycott of the airline, calling on her fellow citizens to do the same. The politician said that the carrier “uses the State to get rich.”
Author:
Ahmed Sadulayev
Source: RB
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