Georgian PM: ‘dialogue with occupied Abkhazia critically important’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that there is no alternative to peaceful talks. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
Tweet 
Share
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that ‘peace and talks” with Georgia's Russian-occupied Abkhazia region are “critically important,” responding to the recent statement of ‘Abkhaz opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania, who is running in the region’s de facto presidential elections on March 22.
The conditions of the Georgian population living on both sides of the occupation line is critically important for the Georgian government. There is no alternative to peaceful talks,” Gakharia has stated earlier today.
Bzhania told IPN news agency yesterday that “Tbilisi and Sokhumi must have a dialogue”, adding that the format of the dialogue ‘is less important, as to whether there will be mediators or not, the most important thing is that the dialogue result in positive outcome.’
Bzhania stated that the dialogue “should involve people who are eager to make the situation peaceful and human-oriented,” Bzhania said.
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.”
State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said the safety of the population in the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia is the key priority amid current tension there.
The de facto Supreme Court of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia announced yesterday that the so-called presidential elections in the region on September 8, 2019 were illegitimate and ruled to call for repeat “elections”.
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.’
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has not directly answered the questions of the media pertaining to his possible resignation, saying earlier today “Let’s wait for the final word, don’t make me spoil it for you.”
The de facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-controlled Tskhinvali region are concerned by the recent statement of ‘Abkhaz opposition leader’ Aslan Bzhania on the ‘need for dialogue with Tbilisi,’ de facto head of Foreign Affairs Committee in the so-called Tskhinvali parliament Zaza Driaev says.
De facto authorities of the Russian occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia have imposed restrictions on the Enguri Bridge, which is the only crossing point connecting the region with the rest of Georgia. The “acting president” of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba advised the locals not to travel out of the region amid the threat of the new coronavirus. Moreover, only Russian citizens will be allowed to enter the region until April 7 inclusive.
Russian-controlled occupation forces have erected new barriers and replaced old barbed-wire fences near the village of Khurcha, close to the occupied Abkhazia region of western Georgia, the Georgian State Security Service has reported earlier today.