Abkhazian separatists change location names in Gali district

Abkhazian separatists change the Georgian names of the villages in Gali district of the breakaway Abkazia region. They say that the location names are being replaced "based on the historical materials.

The Georgian side believes that this is a result of the resolution on changing the names that the de-facto Abkhazian government issued three years ago. "They issued this resolution three years ago. This process of changing the names has started now. They are replacing the location names with Abkhazian words, the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia says.

The village of Zemo Barghebi will be named Viada-bagroapi. "Zemo is a Georgian word for "upper. "In toponymy, it as a norm not to translate names, the Georgian side explains. "But they are translating them into Abkhazian.