Georgian ex-PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili has responded to the visit of Russian TV host Vladimir Pozner and his guests to Georgia.
At the beginning of his social media post, Mr. Kvirikashvili says that Georgia's territorial integrity is what is paramount for him.
Additionally, he focuses on the key factors determining the national currency rate, which are as follows: a) export; b) foreign investments; c) remittances; d) tourism; and e) the fifth factor, which is nonmaterial, and ensures that people have deposits in national currency instead of the dollar.
''Anyhow affecting export is impossible in the short term, and the government has no levers on the number of remittances. Receiving investments through privatization is an immensely challenging task in this state of play. As for the nonmaterial fifth factor, we cannot ensure the public's optimistic attitude when it comes to the GEL rate. We have been left with tourism only; however, returning to the pre-pandemic status quo in this field remains a global challenge.
Yesterday evening, people's response and the incident that was blown up out of proportion will inevitably worsen the situation and reduce foreign currency flows that we might have received from Russian tourists entering Georgia mainly by land or air. We will, unfortunately, feel the repercussions of all this: the poverty-stricken population of Georgia (not only those gaining benefits from tourism directly or indirectly) will find themselves in a worse situation than they used to be,'' Mr. Kvirikashvili wrote in his post.
Vladimir Pozner and his guests left Georgia by a charter flight earlier than planned.
Police fined the Russian journalist and his entourage for infringing the isolation and quarantine rules.
Mr. Pozner arrived in Georgia to celebrate his birthday.
A protest followed the Russian journalist's visit to Tbilisi.
Adjara Group, which owns The Rooms Hotel, where Pozner and his guests stayed, published a special statement, saying that they supported protesters and condemned occupation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs states that Vladimir Pozner is a citizen of America and has not violated the law on occupation.
The labor inspection fined the Vinotel hotel, in which Vladimir Pozner and his friends had dinner.
Vladimir Pozner and the Russian delegation left the hotel through a police cordon.
People pelted the Rooms Hotel, where Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner and his guests were staying with eggs.
Russian TV presenter Vladimir Pozner, who returned to Moscow, denied that he had been fined for violating Georgia's coronavirus restrictions.
