Georgian Airways, the country’s major privately owned airline, has removed Russian card payment system MIR from its payment options after the public and opposition lambasted the company’s move.
Responding to criticism, one of company officials told reporters today that their contractor Spanish travel retail company WebSky.tech added MIR’s logo to their payment options without their knowledge. He said Georgian Airways asked the Spanish company as early as March 3 to remove MIR.
Russia’s own MIR system has allowed its nationals to make electronic purchases across Russia and a handful of foreign countries, after MasterCard and Visa announced suspending their operations in Russia last week over the invasion of Ukraine. Georgia does not support MIR payments.
Georgian Airways also issued an official statement today, claiming they have not sold a single ticket using the Russian MIR. It explained that WebSky.tech’s purchase system in Georgia was fully connected to the Bank of Georgia, a private financial institution, rendering MIR payments impossible.
Just yesterday, however, head of Georgian Airways Tamaz Gaiashvili defended having the MIR option on its website in an interview with Radio Liberty’s Georgian-language service.
“I’m interested in selling a ticket, which way – I do not care at all,” Gaiashvili said, “I don’t join sanctions [against Russia] and I have no obligation to. I am not a state, I’m a private company,” adding fuel to the fire.
He also noted that the payment system was used by banks outside of Georgia where his company also holds bank accounts. Gaiashvili then made no mention of WebSky.tech.
The National Bank of Georgia also issued a statement today, saying “commercial banks and card processing systems operating in Georgia do not cooperate” with MIR. The Central Bank recalled that it instructed Georgian financial institutions to fulfill their obligations under the international sanctions against Russia.
The National Bank argued however, that it could not pass a judgment on a private company’s decision to cooperate with Mir. The Bank further noted that MIR company operated in occupied Abkhazia, possibly violating Georgian law on the Russian-occupied territories.
Having MIR payment offered by a private company, whether wittingly or unwittingly, has stirred ire in Georgian public, that is largely dissatisfied with what they see as the government’s lukewarm support towards Ukraine amid Russian invasion.
Nika Melia, leader of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party, also held a press briefing earlier today, arguing the company “could not have done all this without the consent and direct permission of the government.”
Today, UNM also held a small demo in front of the office of Georgian Airways in downtown Tbilisi.
On his part, senior ruling Georgian Dream MP Mikheil Sarjveladze spoke of attempts by the “radical opposition” and affiliated media-channels to come up with baseless “provocative topics.”
NB: The Article was updated on March 10 at 13:25. The original version misattributed comments to Radio Liberty’s Georgian-language service to David Gaiashvili. We apologize for the mistake.
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