On September 26, the speaker of the de facto parliament of Abkhazia, Lasha Ashuba, met with Vladislav Kulikov, the Head of the representative office of the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs in Abkhazia. Kulikov was appointed to the position in early September.

The Chairman of the so-called Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, Venori Bebia, also participated in the meeting which discussed a number of topical issues on the bilateral agenda concerning relations in the sphere of education, sports and culture. The issue of provision quotas for Abkhaz entrants’ admission to Russian higher education institutions was a subject of special discussion. Attention was also paid to the development of “legislation” in the field of education and supporting youth and cultural initiatives.

Kulikov's agency is an instrument of "soft power" which Russia uses in the occupied regions of Georgia.