Abkhazian ambassador assesses Georgia's ability to disrupt air communication with Russia

Air service between Russia and Abkhazia will be launched as planned and regardless of Georgia's attempts to get a ban on Russian airlines flying to Sukhum airport, Abkhazia's ambassador to Moscow Alkhas Kvitsinia said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“We regard Georgia's actions as an attempt to hinder an objectively inevitable process. Abkhazia and Russia have already agreed on air traffic, and it will start on schedule. We call on Tbilisi to abandon confrontational rhetoric and finally sign an agreement with us on the non-use of force. In any case, the planes will fly and residents of Abkhazia and Russia will be able to fly freely to each other despite protests from Tbilisi,” - said the Ambassador of Abkhazia.

The diplomat noted that the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with a demand to ban Russian airlines from flying to Sukhum. From the Georgian point of view, the operation of Sukhumi airport is allegedly illegal and violates the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, as the airport has no certificate from Tbilisi. In fact, Georgia is appealing to the fact that ICAO does not formally recognize this airport because of non-recognition of Abkhazia, the diplomat stressed.

He noted that the Abkhazian side considers futile attempts to engage ICAO to isolate the republic.

“Yes, formally Georgia enjoys the support of the majority in ICAO, and the code of our airport there has been canceled since 2006. But it is important to understand: the planned flights Moscow - Sukhum do not violate anyone's security,” the interlocutor added.

The official date of launch of air service between Russia and Abkhazia is May 1, the diplomat also emphasized.

Reprinted from https://ria.ru/