De facto Finance Ministry of Abkhazia temporarily stops working due to ongoing unrest
The so-called administration building of de facto government of Abkhazia. Photo: RFE/RL.
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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.”
We will not be able to issue salaries and pensions until the situation changes,” Nanba said.
Russia, which occupies the Georgian region, has responded to the current tension in Abkhazia and urged the de facto government and the opposition to negotiate for peace.
Georgian State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili has stated that “it is the primary interest for the central Georgian government the people living in Abkhazia to be safe.”
She stated that the situation in Abkhazia is “severe” in many fields due to the Russian-occupation of the region, saying that the absence of any international organisation in the region further complicates settling of any tension.
Demonstrators in Abkhazia are demanding the annulment of the results of the de facto presidential elections in Abkhazia region held in September 2019 and the resignation of incumbent de facto President Raul Khajimba.
Russian Foreign Ministry has responded to the current tension in Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia region and urged the de facto government and the opposition to negotiate for peace.
De facto parliament in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region has adopted a resolution, urging de facto President Raul Khajimba to resign amid public protests. 19 so-called MPs supported the resolution, four went against, while one refused to vote, Russian media outlets report. Khajimba is ready to negotiate with the opposition, refusing to resign, RIA Novosti reports.
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.
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.
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.