Aslan Bzhania sworn in as de facto president of Russian-occupied Abkhazia
Before and after elections, Bzhania said that he supports a new format of negotiations with Tbilisi. At the same time, he says that Georgia should recognise the independence of Abkhazia. Photo: IPN.
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Aslan Bzhania has been sworn in as the fifth de-facto leader of Russian-occupied Abkhazia for a five-year term on April 23.
In his six-minute inauguration speech Bzhania named the restoration of public confidence in the government as one of the main tasks, though he mentioned that the lives of citizens can not be improved quickly and hard work is ahead.
Bzhania thanked other presidential candidates and said that a new political culture is being formed in Abkhazia.
I hope that we will work together to resist political extremism and other threats facing the country. Also, I hope we will work together to transform and strengthen state institutions and the sustainable development of the people of Abkhazia”, said Bzhania.
In his speech after the inauguration, he named the strengthening and development of comprehensive cooperation with the main ally and strategic partner, Russia, as the priority of Abkhazia’s foreign policy.
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Before and after elections, Bzhania said that he supports a new format of negotiations with Tbilisi. At the same time, he says that Georgia should recognise the independence of Abkhazia.
No international organizations in the world recognises the elections in occupied Abkhazia, except for a few countries which have recognized Abkhazia's independence. Among them are Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria.
The de facto president of Georgia’s Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, resigned after a meeting with opposition leader Aslan Bzhania late yesterday which was also attended by Deputy Secretary of Russian Security Council Rashid Nurgaliev.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladislav Surkov also went to Abkhazia following the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry that political unrest in Abkhazia was “an internal issue of the republic.”
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili announced today that she is paying close attention to the developments in the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia. State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili spoke of the situation in Sokhumi as well.
Opposition ‘presidential candidate’ in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania says that “there must be a dialogue between Tbilisi and Sokhumi.” Bzhania, who will run in the snap ‘presidential elections’ in the region on March 22, told IPN news agency that the format of the dialogue ‘is less important, or whether there will be mediators or not, the most important is that the dialogue brings positive outcomes.’
Abkhaz ‘opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania will run in so-called snap presidential elections in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region after the resignation of former president Raul Khajimba yesterday.
Alexander Ankvab has been appointed as the de-facto Prime Minister of the Russian-occupied Abkhazia today, reports RFE/RL.
The newly elected de facto President of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania claims that products worth billions of rubles illegally enter Tbilisi-controlled territory from the region.
Russia remains the first partner for Abkhazia, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the de-facto President of Russian-occupied Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania earlier today, reports Russian news agency TASS.
De facto Prime Minister of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region and the former de facto president of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab, 69, has been put on artificial ventilation by Russian doctors due to complications caused by coronavirus, local media outlets have reported earlier today.
The de facto government of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region has dismissed reports on the alleged visit of a de facto Abkhaz official to Tbilisi-controlled territory for negotiations on trade and economic issues.
De facto President of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region Aslan Bzhania is visiting Syria.