Zurabishvili Calls Russia's Provocation Arrival of Protest-Inducing Ship from Sochi to Batumi

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, has labeled the arrival of the Astoria Grande ship from Sochi to Batumi as a Russian provocation, which has sparked a wave of protests among citizens. She expressed her views on this matter via her Twitter account.

“I am proud of our people, who peacefully protested against the recent Russian provocation—the visit of a Russian cruise ship to the port of Batumi, while (President of Russia) Putin blocks grain transportation and hinders free navigation in the Black Sea,” Zurabishvili wrote.

On the evening of July 27, hundreds of Georgian citizens gathered at the Batumi dock to protest against the arrival of a cruise ship carrying Russian tourists.

According to the РИА Новости agency, the ship carried around 800 tourists from Russia, who had a few hours to explore the sights of the city. There were also Turkish tourists aboard the vessel.

The Astoria Grande ship, operated by the Turkish company Miray Cruises, departed from Sochi on July 22, headed for Turkey via Batumi. This has caused discontent among Georgian opposition figures, who assert that the vessel may be subject to international sanctions. Moreover, according to the protesters, most of the passengers on the ship have violated Georgian law on “Occupation” by previously visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Tbilisi considers occupied territories.