TBILISI, May 10. /TASS/. Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili said that he welcomed the decision by the Russian leadership to waive the visa requirement for Georgian citizens.

"More than one million of our citizens reside in the Russian Federation and they have very close ties with people, relatives, loved ones who reside in Georgia, and any responsible government will welcome this decision from the humanitarian point of view. It will make everyday life easier for our fellow citizens," the top Georgian diplomat told reporters on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree waiving the visa requirement for Georgian citizens, beginning on May 15. Another presidential decree cancels a ban on flights of Russian airlines to Georgia and on selling tours to the country which 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.