Monthly Review

Review of Kremlin Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region

2022 / 11 / 01

Publication:  N46 / Review period:  October 1-31, 2022

Review of the Kremlin Policy in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region is being prepared within the framework of the project - Roadmap to Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region. The purpose of the publication is to review important developments related to Russia’s policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The review is a monthly publication and will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the Kremlin policy in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Aslan Bzhania's Meetings with the Russian “Ambassador”

On October 3, the de facto President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, met with the Russian “Ambassador” to Abkhazia, Mikhail Shurgalin. The meeting discussed deepening of cooperation, future initiatives and issues related to bilateral cooperation. Another meeting with the Ambassador was held on October 14. This time, other representatives of the Russian occupation regime also participated, among them were the Acting Commander of the 7th military base of Russia, Ivan Grebenkin, and the Head of the Border Division of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in the de facto republic of Abkhazia, Andrey Kudimov.

 Aslan Bzhania's Meeting with the Russian Ambassador. Source:  presidentofabkhazia.org

Aslan Bzhania Met with the Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of Russia

On October 5, Aslan Bzhania met with the Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of Russia, Colonel-General Ilya Denisov. The meeting discussed the issues of coordinated interaction between the rescue agencies of Russia and Abkhazia and the importance of cooperation in the “border” regions in this field.

Delegation of the De Facto Parliament of Abkhazia Visits Moscow 

A delegation of the de facto parliament of Abkhazia of the “7th convocation” met with representatives of the State Duma during a visit to Russia on October 2-6. In Moscow, members of the delegation chaired by the de facto Head of the parliament, Lasha Ashuba, spoke about the deepening of bilateral cooperation. Ashuba informed the Russian side about the new composition of the Commission for the cooperation with the Russian State Duma and introduced its new Head, Astamur Arshba.

Along with inter-parliamentary cooperation in the socio-economic fields, the meeting also discussed the implementation of the Alliance and Strategic Cooperation agreement between Abkhazia and Russia which went into force in 2014. One of the points of the agreement, the issue of improving the engineering and technical equipment of the eastern “border” of Abkhazia, was also a subject to be discussed.

Meeting Between Lasha Ashuba and Vyacheslav Volodin. Source:  parlamentra.org

Within the framework of the visit, Abkhaz “MPs” also met with the Deputy Speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation, Konstantin Kosachev, and the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin.

The visit to Moscow was the first in a row for the delegation of the de facto parliament of the “7th convocation.”

Meeting with Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development

The de facto Prime Minister of Abkhazia, Alexander Ankvab, met with representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia. The Russian delegation was represented by Vitaly Gudin, the Director of the Department for Special Programs and Projects of the Ministry, his deputy, Anton Melnik and the Assistant to the Minister of Economy, Mikhail Mukhortov. The Russian Ambassador, Mikhail Shurgalin and the Counselor of the Embassy, Maxim Litvinov, also attended the meeting. Gudin and Melnikov supervise the implementation of socio-economic projects funded by Russia in the occupied regions of Georgia.

At the meeting, issues related to the implementation of the investment program promoting the socio-economic development of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, the harmonization of the Abkhazian “legislation” with the Russian one, and energy issues were discussed.

Meeting with the Secretary of State of the Union State

On October 5, the State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Dmitry Mezentsev, met with Inal Ardzinba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia. The parties, together with representatives of Abkhazia, Russia and Belarus discussed issues of relations. The interest of the Abkhaz side towards the Union State as a platform for international integration was highlighted during the meeting. In addition, the meeting discussed Belarusian President’s visit to the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, which took place in September and was of an unofficial nature.

Cooperation in the Field of Statistics

In Moscow, a 2022-2024 action plan in the field of statistics was signed between Russia and Abkhazia. During the negotiations, the de facto chairman of Abkhazia's State Statistics Committee, Kama Gogia, and the Head of the Russian State Federal Statistics Service, Sergey Galkin, spoke about the key issues and perspectives of cooperation.

Alan Gagloyev Met with Representatives of the Russian Military-Industrial Complex

The de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloyev, met with representatives of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation and discussed the prospects of improving the command and control of the Armed Forces of the region. According to him, based on the geopolitical situation and the interests of the de facto republic, the deepening of cooperation in the field of defense is timely and necessary. The Russian side also expressed readiness for deepening cooperation and noted that Moscow is interested in the stability of the Tskhinvali region and is ready to contribute to the development of information technologies in the region in order to improve the management system of the Armed Forces.

Russia's “Soft Power”

Meeting with the President of the Russian Book Union

Aslan Bzhania, held a meeting with the former Chairman of the Russian government and currently the President of the Russian Book Union, Sergei Stepashin.

Presentation of the Book - Putin's Way

A presentation of the book - Putin's Way, by Rafael Huseynov was held in the “State” Drama Theater of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia. The book is based on ten major interviews recorded between November 2021 and July 2022. Before the presentation in the State Theater, the book was presented in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In Sokhumi, the book was presented to the public by Sergei Stepashin.

Presentation of the Book. Source:  presidentofabkhazia.org