After a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, on October 3, in Sochi, and a meeting with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on October 4, the President of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, together with other members of the de facto government, left for a working visit to Moscow.

On October 7, Bzhania together with the de facto Vice Prime Minister and the so-called Minister of Economy, Kristina Ozgan, visited the Russian Export Center where he met with the center's General Director, Veronika Nikishina. At the meeting, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding which provides for trade and economic cooperation between the de facto republic and Russia.

According to Nikishina, Russia is interested in development of agribusiness, transport infrastructure and other economic sectors in the occupied Abkhazia. She said that Russian companies express their readiness to participate in similar projects, and the center will support their initiatives.

The JSC Russian Export Center actively cooperates with the occupied regions of Georgia. Before the meeting with Bzhania, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloyev, met with Nikishina, on May 31, 2023, and the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation. For information, during 2022, the center promoted the export of products from Russia to the occupied Tskhinvali region in the amount of USD 20.6 million, which is a 40% increase compared to 2021.

As part of the visit to Moscow, Bzhania also met with Abkhaz students who are studying in Russian higher educational institutions. During the meeting, Bzhania told the students that they represent the de facto republic in Russia and a lot depends on their academic performance. In addition, the de facto president organized a small historical excursus for them about the history of the de facto republic.

It should be noted that Bzhania spoke about the establishment of a specialized center, which will be responsible for the recruitment and development of personnel in the so-called public agencies. Most likely, the center will focus on young people educated in Russia. More than 150 students attended the meeting.

On October 6, a member of the de facto delegation, the so-called Prime Minister, Alexander Ankvab, met with the Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Alexey Sazanov. At the meeting, the parties discussed cooperation and customs-trade issues.