Georgia's ability to withstand pressure from the West commands respect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference, summing up the results of Russia’s diplomatic activity in 2022.
The diplomat also expressed hope that direct air communication with Georgia will soon be resumed. "I am glad that our people-to-people contacts are actively developing. Last year, I was told, Georgia's GDP grew by 10% largely due to tourism and trade relations with Russia. I hope that we will soon be able to resume direct air communication," Lavrov said at a press conference on the results of Russian diplomacy in 2022.
Diplomatic ties between Georgia and Russia were severed in 2008. Since 2012, Special Representative of the Georgian Prime Minister for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russian former Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin have held regular meetings in Prague. This format has been the only avenue for direct dialogue between Moscow and Tbilisi for some time.
