Friday, August 3, 2007, #147 (1414)

Tbilisi-Moscow flight talks crash and burn

By Nino Mumladze

The drawn-out negotiations on resuming direct Tbilisi-Moscow flights have once again proved fruitless. Nor are there any prospects of summer charter flights, the Russian Embassy in Georgia declared August 2.

Russian negotiators said that Georgian airlines have a "plural debt" of USD 3 million to Russian air traffic services, citing that as a hurdle to readmitting Georgian airlines on the flight route. Instead, Russia offered for their state-owned and biggest airline, Aeroflot, to be the sole carrier for the connection. Tbilisi refused the offer, saying all airlines should be allowed to fly, or none at all.

"While Georgian air companies owe Russia money, it's unclear why Russian air companies aren't flying. When we propose that Russian air carriers operate the flights, we're refused," said Ivan Volinkin, advisor to the Russian ambassador, speaking to media after talks broke down.

Georgian officials and airlines, meanwhile, denied being responsible for any debt to Russia, and demanded that Georgian companies be given the same opportunities to ply the route as Russian ones.

Irakli Taktakishvili, head of the Georgian Transport Administration, claimed the debts in question are not Georgia's problem. He says the Russians are talking about debts from the year of 1999, which "neither the state nor the companies of the Georgian air market are [legal heirs] to."

Georgian National Airlines concurs that the debt issue is beyond debate.

"Presently, we fly routes to Kiev [Ukraine], for which we cross Russian airspace and we pay for that. If we had any unpaid debts, we wouldn't be allowed to fly through Russian territory. This is the fact," said Giorgi Kodua, director general of National Airlines, speaking with Imedi TV.

"Our airline has no debt…we are ready to resume flights any day, any time, with the same parity as before [the suspension of flights]. It just depends on Russia's political will," head of Airzena's public relations department Nino Giorgobiani told Rustavi 2. Airzena was also involved in the negotiations.

Moscow suspended all direct transportation links between Russia and Georgia, including air flights, after Georgia arrested alleged Russian spies in Tbilisi. Georgia later transferred the men back to Russia. However, Georgian Airways flew a handful of charter flights to Moscow on the eves of Christmas and Easter, in what Russia characterized as a humanitarian gesture.

Transport Administration head Taktakishvili echoes the references to political will, saying negotiations broke down due to statements from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"As far as I know, based on my contacts with the Russian Transport Ministry, [the ministry] was for principles of parity in flights, but unofficially, their foreign ministry refused to do so at the last minute," he detailed.

Vadim Kovalenko, the official representative of the Russian national airline Aeroflot in Georgia, said his branch was originally ordered to restart flights in August.

Unlike Georgian Airzena, Russia's Aeroflot didn't have a say in the negotiations.

"We don't participate in any talks…If Aeroflot gives us the word, we will fly, if not, we won't," Kovalenko explained to Imedi TV.

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