Russian tourists feel safe in Georgia

The tourists from Moscow interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" told that they felt safe in Georgia and mourned about aggravated Russian-Georgian relations.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree "On Certain Measures to Ensure National Security of Russia and Its Citizens", according to which Russian airlines are forbidden, from July 8 on, to transport passengers to Georgia. In its turn, the Georgian Ministry of Transport imposed a ban on flights of Georgian airlines to Russia from July 8.

Marina and Tamara, who bought spices in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, responded negatively to the question whether the ban on Georgian-Russian flights had affected their plans.

"On Monday we fly to Moscow; and we'll have no problems this year," said Tamara.

They said they did not feel that something was threatening them in Georgia.

"We've been in Georgia for a whole week; and have never met any threats or anything like that," said Marina.

"This ban won't affect me – I return to Vladivostok on July 6. And then we'll see if I plan to visit Georgia again. I'm here for the first time; my impressions are most favourable – friendly and hospitable people live here," said Olga from Vladivostok.

Two girls from Sochi, Elena and Lyubov, said that the ban on flights could affect their plans, as they wanted to come to Georgia again this year.

"We fly away on the June 25; but we wanted to return here in September. It is sad that this is impossible," said Lyubov.

When asked if the concerns Russians' safety were justified, the girls answered negatively.

"There is absolutely no threat to us. We are constantly posting on the Instagram what we see here; so, don't believe anyone; although our relatives call us all the time and worry," said Lyubov.

"The most annoying thing is that here the people themselves are in shock. We are told at every corner that they love Russia, in the sense of Russian people. And we love Georgia. It's a pity that everything turned out that way," she has added.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 24, 2019 at 05:57 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.