Georgia considers offering special status to breakaway Abkhazia

Georgia is looking at ways to settle the ongoing tension with its breakaway area Abkhazia, which has been a de facto region since 1993. 

The country's Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Paata Zakareishvili fronted media today and said one option currently being discussed to settle the conflict with breakaway Abkhazia, in the northwest of Georgia, might entail offering the region a special status within Georgia. 

The Minister said the major aim of the current Georgia leadership was to protect both "political and civil rights” of the Georgian population living in the de facto regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). 

Georgia is ready to discuss the issue and we already have visions and opinions how the Georgian Constitutional order might be, where Abkhazia will have a special status. 

We have worked a lot on the issue and even discussed the topic with our opponents. So we are open in this regard,” the Minister said.

He added that European standards and attitudes concerning the new Constitutional arrangement of Georgia would be "very important". 

Several days ago the Minister released a report of his Ministry's past three years' activities. While presenting the report he said during the past three years Georgia did not have any casualties in the conflict and did not lose control of any village or town. 

See a survey by non-governmental organisation IDFI on the Georgian territory now occupied as a result of the Russia-Georgia war of 2008 here. 

Minister Zakareishvili stressed the population of the de facto regions of Georgia were gradually becoming more positive towards Georgia and the number of residents from the two breakaway regions who visited Georgia for tourist, education, business or other purposes had increased lately.