De facto Abkhaz President: Strengthening Ties with Russia Becoming a Priority

Strengthening ties with Russia and creating a common defense and security area is becoming a priority, the so-called president of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, stated last Friday.

He noted that the recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh have revealed that "ensuring military security is of top importance," and that the issue of military security was discussed at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"Developments in Nagorno-Karabakh show that the world has not become more humane, and that military security remains at the forefront. Given that Georgia still considers Abkhazia as its territory and we do not have a peace agreement with them, we also discussed the military security issue at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Strengthening ties with Russia and creating a common defense security area is becoming a priority," Bzhania stated. 

Russia recognized the two Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (so-called South Ossetia) as independent states following the Russo-Georgian War in 2008.

The central government of Georgia considers the republics under military occupation by Russia. They are both partially recognized as independent states by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria, while Vanuatu recognizes only Abkhazia but not Tskhinvali. 

By Ana Dumbadze