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Georgia, Russia resume air links

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MOSCOW, March 25 (RIA Novosti) - Flights between Georgia and Russia resumed on Tuesday almost 18 months after they were halted amid a spying row between the two former Soviet republics.

An Airzena flight landed at Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 7:52 p.m. local time (4:52 p.m. GMT).

Moscow imposed a transportation blockade on the South Caucasus state in October 2006 in apparent retaliation for the detention on espionage charges of four Russian army officers. Russian officials cited commercial reasons, but Tbilisi called the move politically motivated.

Flights have been resumed in line with a bilateral agreement signed in late February on the repayment of Tbilisi's $3.7 million debt to Russia's air traffic regulator.

On March 10, Georgia's largest air carrier, Airzena Georgian Airways, paid $2 million as part repayment of the debt to Russia's State Air Traffic Management Corporation (Rosaeronavigatsia). The remainder of the debt will be repaid in stages by several Georgian air carriers before the end of the year.

Two Russian airlines will operate routes between Moscow and Georgia. Russia's flagship air carrier Aeroflot will fly to Georgia on March 27, and S7 Airlines (former Sibir) on March 30.

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