Parliament Vice Speaker claims “no formal deal” between de facto Abkhazia, Moscow on naval base

Gia Volski, the Georgian Parliament’s Vice Speaker, on Thursday said there was “no formal deal” between Russia and Georgia’s Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia following claims by the de facto President of the region of a “new agreement” with Moscow about the deployment of a Russian naval base in the coastal city of Ochamchire. 

Bzhania, who last month visited Russia, told Russia’s Izvestia paper on Thursday the new base would be built in Ochamchire “in the near future”.

In his comments, the Georgian lawmaker claimed the subject of the claim was a “certain formality”, and that the Kremlin “sometimes allowed” the de facto President Aslan Bzhania to “talk to someone at a high level, including the President [Vladimir Putin]”. 

He also noted Russia’s goal was to “gather strength” amid its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, and retain territories and “strategic facilities” which he said had been “handed over” to Russia by Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili. 

Russia is an aggressor and an occupying power, it is one of the sides of the world conflict, therefore you can discuss and evaluate who has brought this misfortune on us”, he told the press. 

Volski stressed the Georgian authorities were “obligated” to ensure peace in the country “considering the security threats coming from Russia”.