Moscow and Tbilisi are discussing simplification of the visa regime between the two countries, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, adding that the work continues. "Speaking about simplification of the visa regime with Georgia, the discussion is under way despite the fact that Tbilisi initiated severing of diplomatic relations.

Next week, Tbilisi expects the Russian delegation headed by the director of department of state policy in the field of Civil Aviation of Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation Svetlana Petrova, to discuss the possibility of increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries.

In January - February 2016, Georgia was attended by 87,4 thousand Russian citizens, which is 18.8% more than in the same period of the last year, according to the analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry. In February, the number of Russians who visited Georgia has increased in comparison with February 2015 by 29% to 43.1 thousand people, which was a record figure for the last 10 years. By the number of people who visited Georgia, Russia occupies the fourth position after Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia, a statement said.

On August 14, the Georgian airline Georgian Airways operated its first direct regular flight after seven years from Tbilisi to Rostov-on-Don. The flights will be operated twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Travel time is 1 hour 10 minutes. The minimum fare for a ticket in one direction is 124 euros, round-trip ticket costs 224 euros. Rostov-on-Don is the fourth largest city in Russia after Moscow, St. Petersburg and Samara, in which direction Georgian Airways will operate direct regular flights. On a regular basis, the flights from the Russian side to Georgia are currently operated by four airlines: Siberia (S7 Airlines), Aeroflot, Transaero and Ural Airlines.