On September 30, the de facto Republic of Abkhazia solemnly marks the day of Victory and Independence of the Republic of Abkhazia. On September 30, three days after the fall of Sokhumi, Georgian units left the territory of Abkhazia, and separatists raised the “state” flag of Abkhazia on the bank of the Enguri river. This year, Abkhazia celebrated the 30th anniversary of “victory” and held a military parade. Guests arrived from Russia to participate in the ceremonial events in the de facto republic.

The de facto President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, personally met delegations from the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Bashkortostan, the Leningrad region, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea, Chechnya, the breakaway Republic of Transnistria and the occupied Tskhinvali region.

Bzhania welcomed the guests on behalf of the Abkhaz people and expressed his gratitude. “The independence of Abkhazia is largely due to the support of the countries whose delegations are present in Sokhumi,” the de facto President said.

The Head of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, Sergey Menyaylo, who was among the guest to the de facto republic, publicly congratulated the Abkhaz people on “Victory Day” and said that “the Abkhaz people did everything to defend their independence and live on their land.” In addition, Menyaylo noted that many of his fellow countrymen fought with Abkhazians in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict of 1992-93, and today they are participating in the military parade. It should be noted that Menyaylo had not been in the occupied Abkhazia for 15 years and he said that much has changed for the better during this period.

The Leader of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, delivered a speech at the meeting. He thanked Bzhania for the invitation and highlighted the long-standing friendship between the de facto republic and Bashkortostan as well as “the support provided by the residents of Bashkortostan to the Abkhazians in difficult years.”

In addition, a deputy of the Russian State Duma, Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov, who is a frequent guest to Abkhazia, visited the occupied Abkhazia. He was personally met at the “border” by the de facto Presidential Adviser on security issues, Raul Lolua.

It should be noted that during a meeting with the delegations, Bzhania said that an agreement on the restoration of the Sokhumi airport will be signed between Russia and the de facto republic in the near future. At the end of the meeting, the heads of the delegations presented souvenirs to Bzhania.