Dimitri Medvedev’s Visit to Abkhazia

On August 8, 2010, on the second anniversary of Russia-Georgia War, the President of the Russian Federation, Dimitri Medvedev, paid an unplanned visit to Abkhazia. This was his first visit to Abkhazia after the 2008 Russia-Georgia War. Also, this was the first visit of a Russian President to Abkhazia. Prior to that, Vladimir Putin visited Abkhazia as a Prime Minister in 2009.

In terms of the visit, Medvedev met the de facto President of Abkhazia, Sergei Baghapsh, to whom he promised the full development of relations in the fields of politics, economy and security. He also inspected the Russian military base in Gudauta. 

During the visit Medvedev stated that “despite the statements of Western politicians and talks about the reasons of the 2008 August War, there are real facts that were presented by the Russian, Abkhazian and South Ossetian sides, which were also recorded in the Heidi Tagliavini Report, who led the efforts of the European Commission in investigating the August events.”

After the official meeting, Medvedev and Baghapsh had coffee at a famous place in Sokhumi – Brekhalovka, in a legendary café У Акопа, where Medvedev talked to locals and tourists. After this, Medvedev took a stroll in the center of the city and observed the state structures that were built through Russian funding, including the State Philharmonic Hall and Alexander Pushkin School. At the end of the visit, Medvedev honored the memory of those killed in 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhazian confrontation.