On the establishment of diplomatic relations between Republic of Abkhazia and Republic of Vanuatu

Sukhum, Governments of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Vanuatu being guided by the norms of the International Law and Rights of the Nations for Self-determination as well as by the principles of the Montevideo Convention of 1933 on “Rights and Duties of the States”, have taken a decision to establish diplomatic relations.

The establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries is governed by the realities of the modern geopolitical world where mutually beneficial cooperation will be built through development of economic cultural and other relations between the peoples of Vanuatu and Abkhazia.

The Government of the Republic of Vanuatu expresses its confidence that establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Abkhazia will foster the development of friendly relations between two countries and open additional possibilities for partnership in joint projects, development of two countries, cooperation on labor dissemination and exchange of modern technologies.

Relations between two countries will also become a first step in development of political cooperation and contribute into further rapprochement and enlargement of partnership in frames of the international political structures of which the two countries are the members.

The Government of the Republic of Abkhazia welcomes this important, historical decision and brave step of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu. This will give new impetus to the development of cooperation with the countries of Pacific region. By taking this decision, despite the international pressure, Republic of Vanuatu contributed into the peace and stability in the Caucasus region.

The process of establishment of diplomatic relations was preceded with the consultations between two parties. One of the important elements of success was the fact that the International Community had recognized territorial integrity of Georgia in violation of the norms of the International Law, since at the moment of collapse of the Soviet Union, Abkhazia had no legally binding relations with Georgia.

Note: In accordance with the Soviet Union’ law adopted on 3rd April 1990 “On the procedure of the settlement of questions connected with the withdrawal of a union republic from the USSR” ”, Autonomous Republics had right to decide independently whether or not to join the secession of the Union republic in which they are situated. Abkhazia implemented the abovementioned right and participated in the referendum held on 17th of March 1991 in which the majority voted in favor of preservation of the reformed Soviet Union. At the same time Georgia did not participate in the referendum since it declared independence from the Soviet Union a month after the referendum in Abkhazia. Thus, by the time of collapse of the Soviet Union, Abkhazia was part of the USSR – not the Georgia, since Abkhazia could not be subordinate to two different entities separately and at the same time.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia  05.27.2011

Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed his condolences over the death of Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh, the Kremlin press office said on Sunday.

"Bagapsh was an advocate of friendship and alliance with Russia and arduously worked on deepening close bilateral ties between our countries," Medvedev said in a message addressed to Abkhaz Vice-President Alexander Ankvaba.

Bagapsh, 62, has died after undergoing a surgery on his right lung at a Moscow clinic.

Bagapsh also personally contributed to "strengthening the independence, social and economic development of the republic, its formation as an independent subject of international relations," the message said.

An official spokesman for the Abkhaz president has said that Bagapsh died of cancer.

"Doctors have admitted that malignant tumors affected his lung and spread to other organs. Doctors now acknowledge that this was cancer," Kristian Bzhania said.

Bagapsh will be buried in the village of Dzhgerda in the Ochamchira district where his parents were buried. The mourning ceremony will be held in Moscow on Monday, after which his body will be flown to Abkhazia. The funeral date will be specified, a source in the Abkhaz presidential administration said.

05.29.2011  RIA Novosti

Moscow, Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh who has died after a surgery at a Moscow clinic will be buried in his native village in Abkhazia, a source in the Abkhaz presidential administration said on Sunday.

Bagapsh, 62, underwent the surgery on his right lung in a Moscow hospital on May 21. After the surgery, doctors said his health condition was satisfactory. Earlier this week, Bagapsh's lungs failed and he was put on a ventilator. Yesterday, doctors started to register complications with his other organs but were unable to help him.

Bagapsh will be buried in the village of Dzhgerda in the Ochamchira district where his parents were buried. The mourning ceremony will be held in Moscow on Monday, after which his body will be flown to Abkhazia. The funeral date will be specified, the source said.

An official spokesman for the Abkhaz president has said that Bagapsh died of cancer.

"Doctors have admitted that malignant tumors affected his lung and spread to other organs. Doctors now acknowledge that this was cancer," Kristian Bzhania said.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia, were recognized by Russia as independent states in 2008 following a five-day war, which started when Georgia attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Only Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny Pacific island of Nauru have followed Russia's suit. Georgia considers the two regions part of its sovereign territory.

05.29.2011  RIA Novosti

Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh died in Moscow following a lung surgery, a source in the Abkhaz presidential administration said on Sunday.

Bagapsh, 62, underwent the surgery on his right lung in a Moscow hospital on May 21. After the surgery, doctors said that his health condition was satisfactory.

Earlier this week, Bagapsh’s lungs failed and he was put on a ventilator. Yesterday, doctors started to register complications with his other organs and were unable to help him.

05.29.2011  RIA Novosti

Sukhum, The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek and the acting president of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab have discussed the current situation in the republic.

“I periodically come to Sukhum to keep in touch, your assessment of the situation in the republic is important for me, and I'll be happy to hear from you the analysis of the current political situation, the Geneva negotiation process, relations with Georgia, the situation in the Gal district”, Vollebaek told Ankvab.

In turn Alexander Ankvab mentioned that meetings with Knut Vollebaek had always been of a constructive nature.

The acting president characterized the political situation in Abkhazia as stable.

“Everything we do is aimed at ranking worthily with the world community. We have a stable political system, all branches of power work all right. We have already done much for overcoming the economic difficulties we have”, Ankvab said. “The country's budget has grown considerably. Social support to many layers of the population is growing, small and average businesses are developing, the number of investors is increasing”.

Alexander Ankvab pointed to the country's MFA efforts in establishing contacts with the outside world. “A number of interesting trips to other countries have been accomplished, and we are certain that the world is learning more and more about Abkhazia. We are interested in it”, Ankvab added.

As he said, Abkhazia is not afraid of the fact that the process of recognition is going slowly. “We are not in a hurry, and we do not urge on this process, at that we are interested in normal, mutually beneficial relations with the outside world and the normal development in the country”.

Alexander Ankvab emphasized that there are no interethnic problems in Abkhazia . As to the Gal district, which international organizations are paying close attention to, Ankvab said, the situation had considerably changed there in comparison with that of 5 years' prescription.

“Today we have the possibility of giving much more attention to this district's inhabitants and economy. We are implementing concrete projects, related to education, health care, infrastructure much more actively there and intend to increase our efforts”, he said.

Dwelling upon the crime situation in the district adjacent to Georgia, the acting president admitted certain difficulties as they are related to the activity of the Georgian special services.

“Unfortunately, raids of subversive groups of the Georgian special services still take place in the Gal district. Murders of civilians, kidnappings, armed conflicts with our law enforcement bodies create tension among civilians”, Ankvab emphasized.
Thereupon, as he said, the authorities are studying measures on increase in number of law-enforcers in the Gal district, increase in salaries of law-enforcement bodies , the State Security Service and the Border Guard Service employees.

Ankvab told Knut Vollebaek that Russian border guards deployed in the territory of Abkhazia are providing themselves with the necessary facilities on the border now. “Efficiency of their work increases every day. When the process of fortifying the border and building frontier posts comes to the end, we are certain, the situation on the border will considerably improve”, Ankvab emphasized.

Improvement of the crime situation, Ankvab is certain, will positively affect the economic development of the Gal district having a considerable potential, and the process of integration of Gal district inhabitants into the inner life of the country.
Alexander Ankvab told the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities about the process of issuing passports in the Gal district. “As of May 1, 2011, 9000 people in the Gal district have received passports of the citizen of the Republic of Abkhazia. This process is going absolutely easily, without any compulsion. This is a will of the citizens who want to live in the Abkhaz society”, Ankvab emphasized.

Among the difficulties occurring in the process of education at Gal district schools Ankvab named shortage of Abkhaz and Russian teachers. Some district schools are in need of repair.

“The Gal district today has problems with teaching the Russian and Abkhaz languages, and no problems with teaching Georgian”, Alexander Ankvab declared. “ We do not forbid anybody to teach the Georgian language in Gal schools. At the same time, in recent years we have seen parents' aspiration to send their children to study at our educational institutions therefore we will pay much attention to teaching the Russian and Abkhaz languages in the region”.

Every year Abkhazia is granted from 70 to 100 quotas at Russian higher education establishments. “We want Gal children to have the possibility of getting qualitative, modern higher education and they should speak Russian for this purpose”, Ankvab said.

The state takes measures in the field of health care. In the near future the district will receive a considerable aid for purchasing equipment for the district hospital.

For maintaining village inhabitants' regular liaisons with the district center 15 new buses have been transferred to the Gal motor transport enterprise.

Then the meeting was held behind the closed doors.

After it Knut Vollebaek told journalists that he had had a very interesting and productive meeting with Alexander Ankvab.

“My mandate includes giving as much as possible time to national minorities and establishing relations with them in different regions of the world. We have the neutral status, and we have the possibility of being in the regions where our mandate extends to”, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities said.

Knut Vollebaek emphasized that he welcomes decisions and obligations of the Abkhaz authorities to give local national minorities the opportunity of getting education in a native language and expressed readiness to render assistance in this issues.

As to the issuing of passports to the population of Gal district, in his opinion, any person must be free in taking this or that citizenship, everyone must have the right of choice.

“During my last visit I visited Armenian and Georgian schools. Armenian schools have no problems, but Georgian ones have problems with textbooks and native language teachers”, Knut Vollebaek said.

05.25.2011 Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Message for the mass media by the official representative of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 “Abkhazia, the country of soul: ethnos, excursus, orography” presented in Italy

Turin, XXIV Turin International Book Fair was being held in the Italian city of Turin at the Lingotto exhibition center from May 12 to May 16.

This year Russia which has presented about 2,5 thousand books at the national stand with an area of about 400 sq. meters became a guest of honor of one of the largest world book forums. The books published in Kabardino-Balkaria by the “Maria and Victor Kotlyarov publishing house” were among them. Volumes of the "Caucasus" series: “History. Peoples. Customs”, “Adats of mountain peoples”, “Cults. Legends. Traditions” published in Nalchik were exhibited at the fair stands.

Monumental folios, colourful polychrome two-volume editions published in the original series of texts and documentary photographs “Peoples of the Caucasus: history, ethnography, geography": ”Balkaria, the country of mountains and valleys” and just published “Abkhazia, the country of soul: ethnos, excursus, orography” where Maria and Victor Kotlyarov are not only publishers, but also authors attracted guests' special attention.

05.18.2011 Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Agenda of 16th round of Geneva Discussions determined

Sukhum, Today cochairmen of the Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia Pierre Morel (EU), Antti Turunen (UN) and Gedryus Chekuolis (OSCE) have discussed the agenda of the upcoming 16th round with Abkhaz representatives. The next Geneva meeting is scheduled for June 7. The last 15th meeting in Geneva took place in March. Pierre Morel said at a meeting in the MFA of Abkhazia that the visit of the delegation of cochairmen is related to “the normal preparatory process to the next round of discussions”. "We meet with all discussions participants, and also intend to visit Moscow”, he said.

“We are very glad to arrive here again after the political decision taken in New York”, Antti Turunen said, in turn. “It is a very important signal and a good sign for the future further work in Geneva”.

The rest of the meeting was held behind the closed doors. After it the EU cochairman Pierre Morel said they had touched upon the issues discussed in working groups on security and humanitarian issues, functioning within the framework of Geneva discussions, namely, the non-use of force and security agreements.

According to Antti Turunen, the issues of further work within the framework of the five-sided Mechanism on incidents prevention and response were also raised.

In connection with the incidents taken place in the Gal district of Abkhazia, Turunen considers it necessary to continue the work on counteraction to such cases and favor more cooperation of the parties in these issues. The next five-sided meeting chaired by Antti Turunen will take place in Gal on May 20.

The OSCE cochairman of the Geneva discussions Gedryus Chekuolis said that today's meeting with Abkhaz participants of the Geneva discussions was “constructive and was held in a friendly atmosphere”. “It is another concrete step on the way to preparation of the 16th round of the discussions”, the OSCE representative said.

The head of the Abkhaz delegation on the Geneva discussions Vyacheslav Chirikba said that besides the agenda of the upcoming 16th round, they had discussed the five-sided mechanism and the situation in the frontier Gal district of Abkhazia.

“The Abkhaz party expressed concern over deterioration of the situation in the frontier zone, in particular, related to a Russian border guard’s murder this April”, he said.

05.10.2011 Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia