Georgian sea should also be open to tourists - authorities

Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Guram Guramishvili said the cruise ship Astoria Grande, which had entered Georgia’s Batumi port, was not sanctioned by “any country”.

Guramishvili noted the Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia, in cooperation with the Revenue Service, was “regularly” monitoring ships and shipowners entering the country’s ports for compliance with the international sanctions.

The Deputy Minister also stressed that tourism was an “important” sector for the country, contributing greatly to the economic growth, and added tourists could enter the country by road and air transport, as well as sea traffic.

The Maritime Transport Agency on Thursday said the cruise ship had arrived in Batumi port from Turkey and was free from international sanctions. The arrival of the cruise vessel was protested at the Batumi port by locals and representatives of the domestic opposition.