TBILISI, May 16. /TASS/. Georgia's national air carrier Georgian Airways has received a permit to perform flights to Russia starting May 20 seven days per week, Georgia's Civil Aviation Agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Georgian Airways starts regular flights on route Tbilisi-Moscow-Tbilisi. In accordance with the flight schedule provided by the airline to the civil aviation agency, flights will be performed starting May 20 seven times per week," the statement said.

Georgian Airways is the second air carrier to receive a permit to perform flights between Georgia and Russia. It was reported on Monday that the Georgian aviation authorities issued a permit to Russia’s Azimut airline to perform flights between Moscow and Tbilisi. The first flight is scheduled for May 19.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed earlier a decree waiving the visa requirement for Georgian citizens beginning on May 15. Another presidential decree canceled a ban on flights by Russian airlines to Georgia and on selling tours to the country that had been in effect since 2019.

The visa regime with Georgia was introduced by a decision of Russian authorities in 2000. That said, Georgia waived the visa requirement for Russians in 2012. According to Georgian legislation, Russian citizens can visit Georgia visa-free and stay there for up to one year. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed by Tbilisi in 2008 after Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.