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Aeroflot Finds Georgian Skies Unfriendly
Negotiations in Tbilisi on restoring air communications between Russia and Georgia have ended in failure. The outstanding debts of Georgian airlines to Russia prevent them from flying there. Georgia refuses to allow Aeroflot fly to Georgia until ties can be renewed on a parity basis. There have been no flights between the countries since the arrest of four Russian officers in Tbilisi in the autumn of last year for spying. The first round of talks on air communications took place in Moscow last winter.
Several charter flights carrying children from Tbilisi to Russia for religious purposes were made in July after religious representative, up to Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, appealed to Rosavaitsia, the Federal Air Transport Agency. Aeroflot expressed its readiness to resume serving Georgia at that time, but was refused permission by Georgia.
Moscow is insisting on the payment of navigation service charges that date back to the 1990s. Many of the Georgian debtor companies went bankrupt and no longer exist. According to Georgian Economics Minister Georgy Arveladze, no Georgian airline current operating have any debt to Russia. “It is a matter of the general debt of the Georgian side to the Russian Federation,” explained advisor to the Russian embassy in Tbilisi Ivan Volynkin. The amount in question is $3 million.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 03, 2007
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