Georgia may be included in the list of tourist countries friendly to the Russian Federation

Russian tour operators can receive benefits for organizing tours to CIS countries. Georgia is also among the countries friendly to Russians.

The day before, a bill was introduced to the State Duma to reduce the minimum contribution to the reserve fund and the amount of insurance for tour operators.

The list of “friendly” countries has been agreed upon with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. It included Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In May, Russia abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens. Bans on Russian airlines flying to this country were also lifted.

Direct flights from Russia to Georgia were suspended in 2019. Russians got there by connecting flights through Minsk, Yerevan, Baku and Istanbul or by land transport.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili opposed the resumption of air travel. At the same time, the government and parliament, formed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, supported Moscow’s decision on visa-free travel.

Последние новости
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
Politics
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
29 July 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that Russia’s restrictions on Armenian exports are calling into question the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying the dispute could mark “the beginning of the end” for the Moscow-led bloc if it is not resolved soon.
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Politics
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
29 July 2026

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has severed diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, effectively revoking its earlier recognition of their "independence." The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced the move.
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
Society
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
29 July 2026

An attack on the family of a Meskhetian Muslim in the southern Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe has raised questions about the police response. The victims say more than ten men assaulted the local mosque’s imam, Shevket Dvalidze, but only two suspects were detained and later released on bail. Human rights groups are calling for investigators to examine whether the attack was motivated by ethnic, linguistic and religious hatred.
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
Human rights
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
29 July 2026

The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the sentences handed down to staff members of the Azerbaijani YouTube channel Toplum TV, describing them as further evidence of the persecution of independent journalists in the country.