Russians Like Georgia

From the BBC:

"Russian tourists return to Georgia despite 2008 war"

A group of smiling tourists laugh and take pictures as they get off a coach in Tbilisi's medieval Old Town.  An elderly Georgian man waves at the group from an ornately carved wooden balcony. And a worker carrying a huge sack of concrete winks cheekily at the blonde women and shouts a greeting in Russian. They giggle.  It is not a reaction they had expected. That is because these tourists are from Russia, a country which fought a war with Georgia four years ago. And whose troops are still stationed in 20% of Georgian territory. In 2008 Georgia and Russia went to war over the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia.  It was a war Russia won. Tens of thousands of Georgians who lived in South Ossetia were forced to flee their homes, leaving everything behind. And today, Russian troops guard checkpoints into South Ossetia to stop them trying to go back.  "I'm really very surprised that people here are so happy to see tourists from Russia," said Zulfiya Nikonova, who is here for the first time. "I was sure there wouldn't even be any Russian tourists, just four years after the war. There are a lot of memories." The two countries have no diplomatic relations. Russia is distrustful of the aspirations of this former Soviet Republic to join Nato - viewing Georgia as a traitor to their common history.  And Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to deal with Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili, famously saying that, given the chance, he would hang Mr Saakashvili by his genitals. Except Mr Putin used blunter language. Despite all this, the Georgian government has embarked on a conscious policy of attracting Russian tourists and businessmen to help boost the economy. In February visa restrictions for Russians were scrapped. The next month the number of visitors from Russia tripled, says the Georgian government. And in the first four months of 2012, there were 55% more Russian visitors than the same period last year. More Russians are on their way. In 2011 there were around 300,000 Russian visitors to Georgia, and the government predicts half a million for this year. Quite a leap from 2008, when there were just 100,000.  "A lot of Russians think it's unsafe because of the tense relations between our countries," he said. "But in reality it's completely different. People here are very friendly, peace-loving and happy." That's because, despite the war, many Georgians have a great fondness and respect for Russian culture, history and people. "We don't like Putin, but we love Russia," is something you often hear.

Historically many Georgians saw Russia as a civilising force, and the route to Europe - a fellow Christian country, which would offer support against the Muslim Persian and Ottoman empires to the South.  The hope is that tourism can help heal those political rifts. The official diplomatic route may no longer be available. But Tbilisi is hoping that individual Russians will be so charmed by Georgia's wine, food, climate and genuinely impressive hospitality that they will act as unofficial ambassadors for Georgia when they go back home.

^ I think it is refreshing for a country (in this case, Georgia) to officially separate the Russian Government's policy towards Georgia with that of the ordinary Russian people. I still do not understand how the Russian Government can say that the two breakaway territories are completely independent while the residents there receive Russian pensions and passports. That would imply that they are not independent, but part of the Russian Federation. I would like to visit Georgia someday (as well as go back to Russia.) Hopefully, when I do the two countries will restore full-diplomatic relations and I could travel from one to the other. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18285840