On October 17, a working meeting was held in Moscow on the implementation of the program for the formation of a common social and economic space between Russia and Abkhazia based on the harmonization of the Abkhaz “legislation” with the Russian one.
A delegation from Abkhazia was headed by the de facto Vice Prime Minister and the so-called Minister of Economy, Kristina Ozgan, and a Russian delegation – by the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Dmitry Volvach.
According to Volvach, all legal-normative acts adopted within the framework of the “legislations” harmonization program contribute to the promotion of economic, humanitarian and infrastructural cooperation between the de facto republic and Russia. “These measures contribute to the implementation of integration projects and increase the investment attractiveness of the countries,” he added.
At the meeting, the parties discussed results of the program implementation as well as its ongoing issues, such as: double taxation, customs regulation, social and banking activities.
Volvach believes that the “legislations” harmonization project will be completed in 2023, an important part of which has already been done, and relevant agencies are actively cooperating on the remaining work.
Ozgan, for her part, noted that the work done within the framework of the program is unprecedented in the modern history of Russia and the de facto republic, and the results will lead to an effective increase in economic, investment and humanitarian cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to intensify cooperation in order to accomplish the program by the end of the year. Work on the harmonization of the “legislations” between the de facto republic and Russia began in 2021. Since then, several areas have been regulated and synchronized, such as: energy, tax and customs regulation, investment and banking, social insurance, health care, education, labor relations and pension.