The Moscow Times, Russia
Aug 11 2008
Visitors Told To Avoid Georgia
11 August 2008
Britain advised citizens on Sunday to leave Georgia as soon as
possible unless they had an urgent need to stay, while other countries
urged their citizens to defer travel to the region.
"If you or your family have no urgent need to remain in Georgia, you
should leave as soon as possible. It is wise to do so while some air
services are still available and the border remains open," Britain’s
Foreign Office said in a statement.
Italy on Sunday evacuated its citizens from Georgia to Armenia.
In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it had authorized the
departure from Georgia of family members of certain embassy staff and
repeated a warning to Americans to defer travel to the country.
The French Foreign Ministry advised nationals to postpone trips to
Georgia and those already in the country should "stay home and stay in
contact with the French Embassy."
A number of airlines also suspended flights to Tbilisi. BMI, the only
British airline that flies to Georgia, canceled all four flights
scheduled between London and the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, from
Friday through Monday, according to its web site. The airline said it
was "waiting for any updates" on the situation.
Lufthansa, which has 10 flights a week from Munich to Tbilisi, also
suspended its flights, as did Austrian Airlines, which operates four
flights a week between Vienna and Tbilisi.
AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, MT