De facto Tskhinvali concerned by ‘Abkhaz presidential candidate’s’ words on need for ‘dialogue with Tbilisi’
De facto authorities of Tskhinvali say that are ‘closely watching’ situation in Abkhazia. Zaza Driaev on the proto by de facto parliament of Tskhinvali.
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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.
However, it is an internal issue of Abkhazia. We are closely watching the situation in our friendly nation Abkhazia,” Driaev said.
He stated that Tskhinvali will agree on such a dialogue with Tbilisi only after ‘Georgia recognizes the independence of South Ossetia and signs a non-use of force agreement with us.’
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 a positive outcome.’
Bzhania, who was scheduled to run in the ‘presidential elections’ in Abkhazia in September 2019, came back to the region only on January 9, 2020, as he was allegedly poisoned just prior to the race last year.
Bzhania stated that the dialogue “should involve people who are eager to make the situation peaceful and human-oriented,” Bzhania said.
Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia responded that ‘peace and talks” with Russian-occupied Abkhazia region are “critically important.”
Russia recognised the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent states after the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.Only Venezuela, Nikaragua, Nauru and Syria have recognised the regions as independent republics so far. The rest of the international community says that the regions are occupied by Russia.
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.”
The de facto Ministry of Abkhazia has stopped working ‘until the situation changes’ in the Russian-controlled region, as demonstrators are holding rallies, demanding the resignation of de facto President Raul Khajimba. De facto Finance Minister Jansug Nanba has stated earlier today that due to the rallies and the occupation of the administration building of the de facto authorities by demonstrators ‘we were forced to allow our female employees to go home, for their safety.”
Demonstrators demanding the annulment of the results of the de facto presidential elections in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region and the resignation of the current, de facto President Raul Khajimba have broken into the so-called presidential administration building in Sokhumi earlier today.
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.