A Closer Look at the Russian Embargo on Abkhazian Products
There was panic in occupied Abkhazia last week when Russia closed the border on River Psou to natural products cultivated in Abkhazia, blaming the invasion of Asian Stink Bugs. According to Official Moscow, instead of bombs and tanks, Georgia is using the Stink Bugs against Abkhazians. In order to stop this “biological sabotage”, the de-facto regime arranged a similar ban on the River Enguri as exists on other borders in Georgia. However, by doing so, it actually declared a food blockade against its own regime. The only astonishing thing here is that Sokhumi is angered not with Tbilisi, but with Moscow.
“We have known for a long time that this pest was spread from Tbilisi, nevertheless, Russia continues trading with Georgia, but has punished Abkhazians instead,” said Beslan Tsvinaria, Head of the so-called “Customs Committee” of the occupied Abkhazia.
It is interesting to know why the Kremlin suddenly began fighting the pest, and it is difficult to believe that the phyto-sanitarian services of Moscow were unaware about the capabilities of the Stink Bug with regards to borders and the fact that by closing the borders you can’t stop it from migrating. Therefore, it is very likely that the reason behind announcing quarantine in Psou goes beyond the bug and has more to do with politics.
Until April 2, the date Russia imposed the ban on Abkhazian fruits, vegetables and greens, Russian media was accusing half the officials from the de-facto regime of having connections with the British Special Services. The Director of the Russian theater, there, a TV journalist, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Defense Minister and many others, were one after the other accused of being “British Agents.” The dissemination of the list of Abkhazian spies followed the scandal of the so-called Skripal case, seeing Britain and the international community expelling more than 100 Russian diplomats from their respective countries. Russia responded by “exposing” British spies. The Russian FSB became interested in the affairs of its own ‘colony’ Abkhazia after it turned out that the majority of Abkhazian non-governmental organizations where financed by an organization with headquarters in London. Moreover, it was discovered that officials of de-facto Abkhazia were appointed under the protection of the Abkhazian “Honorary Consul to Britain,” the well-known Kartvelologist George Hewitt, who is married to an Abkhazian woman.
It seems strange that only now the Russian FSB found out about Hewitt’s London-Sokhumi protectionism. More likely, this institution itself was the one controlling the processes: the problem arose when the Skripal scandal turned everything upside down. Unlike Russia, those in Sokhumi connected the British Agent’s scandal with the Georgian Special Services right away. They concluded that Tbilisi wants to see Abkhazian society left without authorities, leaving the Abkhazian state in stagnation.
Yet, for some reason, Sokhumi decided that it doesn’t owe Moscow anything and started the wave of ‘passportization’ of the Abkhazian population, that is, replacing the old passports with new. To Moscow’s ‘surprise’ it turned out that these ‘new’ passports are being given not only to Georgians from Gali, but also to the majority of Russians as well. It is well-known that Russians have been expelled from apartments and not given the rights to property; but seizing their passports and replacing them with temporary permits, as well as giving new passports only to ethnic Abkhazians and to decedents of Kanji-Ogli-like ‘Muhajirs’, is such an audacity that Russia finally decided to punish the separatists. Now, the regime of Khajimba has only two roads to take: either fulfill a number of ultimatums raised by Moscow, including giving out the passports to Russians and legalizing their property, as well as agreeing to free trade of property, which will lead to the overthrow of his government, or be stubborn and send Abkhazia back into the Stone Age once and for all – which, sooner or later, will also lead to the same outcome.
It seems Abkhazians need to get used to the fact that they represent nothing but pawns on the chessboard, with Russia doing what it wants and needs with them.
By Zaza Jgarkava