KAZAN, May 18. /TASS/. The restoration of direct flights between Russia and Georgia contributes to the normalization of relations between the countries, Grigory Karasin, the head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, said on Thursday.

"We take it as a starting point," he told TASS on the sidelines of the 14th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum", when asked whether the flights contribute to the normalization of relations between the countries. "But there are other forces in Georgia itself. The opposition considers it one of the reasons for civil unrest, that's their choice," Karasin noted.

When asked what the next steps to normalize relations might be, he said: "Let's see what happens with this baby step."

According to Karasin, the Russian side has seen a positive response from the majority of Russian and Georgian ​citizens in regard to the resumption of direct flights. "We can see that everyone in Russia welcomes it and in Georgia, too, most people seem to be satisfied with this decision," he said.

On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree abolishing the visa regime for citizens of Georgia from May 15. By another decree, the president canceled the ban on flights by Russian airlines and sales of tours to Georgia, which had been in effect since 2019. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili slammed the decisions taken by the Russian side as provocative, while the government and the ruling "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia" party welcomed the visa-free regime and direct flights for Georgian citizens.