Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced that he is returning to Georgia after traveling with his wife and youngest child from Riyadh to Istanbul.

Kaladze shared the update in a live broadcast on social media, saying that they had arrived at Istanbul Airport and would soon depart for Tbilisi, The Caspian Post reports, citing Georgian media.

“I decided to record this video because many people have been calling and asking where we are, how we are, and when we will return to Tbilisi. Right now, my wife, my youngest child Nikola, and I are at Istanbul Airport and are on our way back to Tbilisi,” Kaladze said.

He described the current situation in the Middle East as “very difficult” and noted that many Georgian citizens had been in countries such as the United Arab Emirates.

Kaladze said the Georgian government had organized charter flights to help citizens return home and thanked Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for the decision.

“I would like to express my great gratitude to the Prime Minister. I think this was a very important decision. Anyone who wishes to return should contact the Georgian embassy and take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

Kaladze also explained that Georgian citizens currently in the region can travel by car to Oman without problems and use flights departing from Muscat.

“We flew to Riyadh and now have landed in Istanbul. Tonight we will be in Tbilisi,” he added.

Concluding his message, Kaladze expressed hope for peace.

“I wish peace to the world and peace to our country. I think we all understand that nothing is more precious than peace,” Tbilisi mayor said.