Spokesperson: Russian, Georgian peoples have "missed each other"

The Russian and Georgian peoples have “missed each other”, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said, following the lifting of visa restrictions.

Speaking to Russian media after the International Youth Festival, Zakharova said Russia and Georgia did not have official diplomatic relations but continued to develop trade, economic and humanitarian ties.

She said the removal of visa restrictions had been “long-awaited”, allowing ordinary Georgian citizens to travel to Russia rather than limiting such visits to individual groups and delegations.

“We are waiting for everyone. We have really missed each other,” she said.

Zakharova also said tourism between the two countries was developing, praising the service provided to Russian visitors in Georgia and saying Russia was also expecting tourists and people travelling for humanitarian, economic and business purposes.

She added that she had spoken with members of the Georgian delegation at the festival.

“We have never built barriers or created them in the way of those who came to us in peace,” she said, adding that Russia had not imposed “segregation” based on whether visitors came from countries with unfriendly governments or from allied states.

By Aghakazim Guliyev