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MTSKHETA-MTIANETI, Georgia In the mountain village of Zemo Mleta, locals’ memories of Georgia’s 2008 war with Russia run deep. “Some of my friends fled their homes in South Ossetia after the horror that happened in 2008,” said Tamar, a woman selling souvenirs at a roadside market.
Few people outside of Russia take former president and PM Dmitry Medvedev seriously, but his recent comments suggesting Moscow might annex parts of Georgia would have made the Kremlin-friendly government in Tbilisi pause for thought.
Russia's Vladimir Putin has lifted the ban on direct flights with Georgia and introduced a visa-free regime for Georgian nationals. Georgian authorities welcome the initiative; critics see it as "provocation" by Moscow.
Russia’s surprise move to restore visa-free access for Georgian citizens and direct flights between the two countries signals a continued warming of relations between Tbilisi and Moscow, potentially at the cost of Georgia’s integration with the West, analysts and Russian government officials told The Moscow Times. Some observers have described the decision as a “gift” from the Kremlin to an obsequious Georgian government, especially as Tbilisi has sought to maintain a neutral stance toward the war in Ukraine over the past year. “This includes the delicacy of public statements to the Kremlin, non-adherence to anti-Russian sanctions, refusal to supply arms to Kyiv and a number of other things," a source close to the Russian government told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity. “It seems to me that this is a pat on the back from our side.