Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Georgia's government is working on the issue of resuming regular flights with neighboring Russia, the Georgian prime minister's special representative for Russian affairs was quoted by Russian news agency Interfax as saying.

"Each direction of establishing cooperation between the two countries has both legal and organizational difficulties," Zurab Abashidze said.

"Air communication is not an easy topic, and relevant agencies are involved in work on this issue," he added.

Air communication between Russia and Georgia was severed in August 2008 due to the conflict in South Ossetia. Flights were resumed in August 2010. Currently, direct charter flights between Russia and Georgia are carried out by airlines of both countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting with members of the authorized representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin held in early December said Moscow is ready to consider the issue of resuming regular flights with Georgia.

Georgia and Russia have long been at odds. Tensions between the two neighbors rose in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia and later recognized the breakaway regions. In response, Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Moscow and announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.

Georgia and the vast majority of other countries do not recognize Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence and officially consider them as sovereign territory of the Georgian state.