Gal, Russian border guards are now enjoying a warm welcome in the Gal region of Abkhazia. But when they moved in half a year ago to patrol the young republic’s border, they saw deserted houses and nervous residents. Today, people come to them to ask for help, seeing them as guarantors of their stability and their confidence of a better future. Svetlana Kalmykova reports from the Abkhaz-Georgian border.

The Gal district was a conflict zone for years on end. Even the CIS peacekeeping continent could not guarantee 100% stability. Since last May, when Russian border servicemen were deployed along the Abkhaz-Georgian border, thousands of refugee families have came back to the Gal district after two decades of forced absence. They say life in Abkhazia is much calmer now. Beslan Arshba, the head of the Gal district administration, told the Voice of Russia that people were tired of war and wanted peace.

Of course, until the border is fully formalized and all engineering facilities are built, a certain share of anxiety and fears will remain. But this cannot compare with how it felt during the previous years. People now believe that there will be a better tomorrow.

The Abkhaz-Georgian border patrolled by Russian frontier soldiers is 160 km of land and about 200 km of the sea. The problem is that up to now, Georgia has not recognized this, and that many locals have relations on both sides and are accustomed to moving around freely. So the Russian soldiers not only have to track intruders but also to organize check points and to explain to locals the rules of the border regime set by the Abkhaz laws.The Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh notes that law-abiding residents accept the rules:

No problem here because normal citizens, and they are a majority, are perfectly aware that they have Russian frontier men to thank for the fact that they now sleep calmly and that their children are not dying.

Meanwhile, construction on the border is going on. The first five facilities will be completed before the end of the year. Each outpost will be fitted out with up-to-date border protection devices – electronic sensors detecting movements, sounds, light and even warmth. The former barbed-wire border line has become a thing of the past.

Six Russian patrol boats are guarding Abkhazia’s maritime border. With a maximum speed of 100 km per hour, they can easily catch up with any intruder within minutes.

10.26.2010  The Voice of Russia

Gal, Over 50 tons of humanitarian aid has been given to the Gal district of Abkhazia, bordering on Georgia, within the framework of the interdepartmental humanitarian action named “Mutual Aid. Co-operation. Security”. It is certainly impossible to help everyone. But for many people, living in this socially and economically complicated region, this was a serious act of support after nearly 20 years of uncertainty.

Humanitarian aid from Russia is always selective. It is meant for poor families and families with many children, and also for the schools and hospitals of the Gal district. Russian medical authorities sent the local hospital over three tons of medicines. Publishers sent the schools about 7,000 copies of books and visual aids. The Moscow City Council sent televisions and radio sets and office equipment, the Dynamo sports club sent sporting equipment. The pupils happily unloaded the gifts from the vans and did not conceal their joy at the prospect of having a real gym with wall bars and ping-pong tables and wearing football uniforms. The teachers expressed gratitude to the organizers of the humanitarian action. “It is a good deed”, said the headmaster of No. 2 School of the town of Gal Akhra Kokoskir.

“Now the children feel they are not forgotten, they are needed. It is important for the educational process in our school, it has a positive effect. This action in our district is carried out regularly and the children look forward to it. I am positive that no matter how many years pass, this good deed, aimed at a happy future, will ensure that future. This is a great investment in our tomorrow”.

In the village of Chuburkhinji, near the Abkhazian-Georgian border, humanitarian aid was given, first of all, to refugees. Local people are ethnic Georgians who hastily left their homes and went to Georgia as soon as the hostilities of 1992-1993 began. After the independence of Abkhazia was announced and the government of the new republic promised to welcome everyone who did not fight in the war against Abkhazia, many Georgians decided to return. You can imagine the state of their houses after nearly 20 years of abandonment. During the humanitarian aid these people were given blankets, mattresses, folding beds and food.

One action cannot embrace everyone who needs help. But support from Russia is not restricted to one-time actions. This year only, Abkhazia has been given over 300 tons of humanitarian aid.

10.26.2010  The Voice of Russia

 New book “Fazil Iskander. The selected works” presented in Moscow

 Meeting with Abkhaz leadership, heads of security, defense, law enforcement agencies, border guard service of russian FSB, beoder guard department of russian FSB in Abkhazia held in Sukhum

Sukhum, A meeting attended by the leadership and heads of security, defense and law enforcement agencies of Abkhazia, the Border Guard service of FSB of Russia and the Border Guard Department of FSB of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Abkhazia was held in Sukhum.

Opening the meeting, the President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh said that the issue discussed today, and the decision that will be made, is one of the most important things since “development of any state, its independence, public tranquility, depend, first of all, on the state of its borders, the internal political situation”.

Deputy Head of the Border Guard Service of FSB of Russia, the head of Coast Guard Department Victor Trufanov also stressed the importance of today's event, “seeking the Abkhaz and Russian nations to live in peace and reconciliation, to prevent existing threats and challenges in proper time”.

Trufanov expressed gratitude for the aid rendered by the leadership of Abkhazia to the Border Guard Department of FSB of Russia in the Republic of Abkhazia. “Without this support and aid we wouldn't have today the structure reliably protecting the state border, thus ensuring peace and tranquility for the citizens of Abkhazia”, he said. “Much work has been done; the infrastructure that will make it possible to accomplish set tasks successfully is being created. By a joint effort we will accomplish the tasks facing us”.

10.22.2010  Official site of the President of the republic of Abkhazia

Gal, It has become a tradition for Russian teachers to hold master classes for teachers in the Abkhaz border region of Gal. This year, the main theme of the classes is the school’s role in bringing a person up with feelings of civic responsibility. For Abkhazian teachers, meetings with their Moscow colleagues mean not only gaining new knowledge, but an incentive to work however hard the conditions might be.

Alla Khizanishvili, a teacher of biology in school # 1 of the town of Gal, dreams of a classroom equipped like a real laboratory. All that she has now is her personal microscope which she brings to lessons so that each pupil can have at least one look into it. A year and a half ago, Alla, together with about a hundred teachers of the Gal region, attended master classes of Russian teachers that were part of the humanitarian program held by the Russian border guard service. This was the first master class for teachers in Abkhazia for the last 20 years. For Abkhazian teachers, they were a real revelation – they learned about new methods of teaching, say, interactive teaching, for the first time. Asked, “What is the main thing that you gained from these classes?”, the Abkhaz pedagogues answer: “Optimism. An incentive to work, whatever hard it may sometimes be.” Alla Khizanishvili says:

“Compared with the late 1990s, the present situation is much better. At least, we have new desks and chairs – a present from Russia. We still lack books, though the school library is constantly growing. Today, there are 400 children in our school, but year by year, the number of pupils becomes bigger.”

Now, repairs are under way in the Gal’s school # 1. The walls are plastered, the windows are changed for modern ones, with plastic frames, and the school yard is put in order. A transformer substation has been set near the school, so now it can be heated with electric stoves.

School # 2, which stands on the opposite side of the street, is in a much poorer condition. Once, the building was used as a headquarters of UN peacekeepers. The inscription on the façade, “Where we are, there is peace,” reminds of that time. Children have to study in former barracks. Deputy Head of the Gal regions’ education department Jamelya Charkaziya remembers the time when the building was handed over to the school. It took the teachers a whole summer to put it in order – the building had neither electric power, nor water supply or seweage. Thanks to the region’s administration, now the school has all that. But there’s still no heating, and the school is heated with wood stoves – the children’s parents have to hack wood for the winter. Still, life is gradually coming back to normal, says Jamelya Charkaziya.

“The main sign that life is changing for the better is the growing number of children. There is a lot of evidence that after Abkhazia became independent from Georgia, the very mood of people changed. I travel all over Abkhazia – and everywhere I see that people are building new houses and planting new gardens."

The Russian teachers, who already worked in Abkhazia several years ago, also confirm that things are changing for the better. “It’s very inspiring to see that our work was not in vain,” they say.

10.22.2010  The Voice of Russia

Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed on Thursday reports that the Kremlin demanded that El Salvador recognize the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"We didn't ask our Salvadorian colleagues to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Lavrov told journalists after talks with Salvadorian Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez Bonilla in Moscow.

"We just discussed the situation around these republics, including the United Nations' repeated efforts to politicize the humanitarian problems that appeared after Georgia attacked South Ossetia and the peacemakers," he said.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia after fighting a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008.

So far, only Venezuela, Nicaragua and the tiny island nation of Nauru have followed suit.

10.21.2010  RIA Novosti

A committee of international affairs with the Russian parliament's lower house, the State Duma, will discuss on Thursday the state and perspectives of Russian and Abkhaz relations.

The closed session will be attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, said committee's vice chairman Leonid Slutsky.

"The discussions will focus among other things on the forthcoming ratification of a bilateral agreement between Moscow and Sukhum on stimulation and mutual protection of capital investments," Slutsky said.

A corresponding draft agreement with South Ossetia was introduced to the State Duma on October 15.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008, which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Since then, Russia has deployed thousands of troops and border guards to the two regions, which Georgia considers part of its sovereign territory.

10.21.2010  RIA Novosti

Moscow, The presence of Russian military bases and border guards in South Ossetia and Abkhazia does not run counter to the plan coordinated by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy, deputy Russian Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said.

Russia honored its obligation to redeploy its troops to the positions they held before the 2008 military conflict with Georgia, while its bases in the two republics’ territories have nothing to do with the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan. Their deployment was discussed after the recognition of these countries’ independence.

10.21.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, The people of Abkhazia have begun to believe that the war is a thing of the past now. The President of the young republic Sergei Bagapsh believes that this is the main result of the two years of independence.

You can see only a few people on the Sukhum embankment in the evening. The tourist season has ended. Only the local youths visit cafes and restaurants now. Old people play backgammon and draughts. You can also see fishermen on the piers. Young women with their children are walking by the sea.

And only some time ago this place in the Caucasus was a “hot spot”. In 1992 the Georgian troops occupied the Abkhazian capital Sukhum and held it over several months. The traces of Georgia’s occupation are still visible – meaning the destroyed buildings and walls, speckled with bullet-holes. There’re victims in almost all Abkhazian families.

Today life in Abkhazia is gradually returning to normal, and its residents now have confidence in the future. The main thing for them now is the feeling of protection. What promoted this in many respects was the signing on April 30th, 2009, by Russia’s President and the presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia of an agreement on the joint protection of the state borders of the two independent states. Today Russian border guards protect Abkhazia’s frontiers, guaranteeing its people peace and calm.

“Two years are probably not a very long period for history, but the main thing here is that people’s consciousness has undergone radical changes. Now they believe that there will be no more wars. They believe today that long-awaited peace has come”, Abkhazia’s President Sergei Bagapsh says.

The main thing here is that people have become calmer. We are building a lot now, and we have begun restoring order in the country. Because there’s both stability and protection. The people of Abkhazia will continue to remain thankful to Russia, first of all, for what is being done here now. Russia will remain a country very close to Abkhazia. We need 3 - 4 years to build bridges and roads and to equip the border, but it is much more difficult to build people’s consciousness. The point is that the people have survived the war and have lost their relatives, which makes it very difficult to restructure their belief systems. Patience and painstaking work are needed for this.

Now it is necessary to develop national economy, Abkhazia’s President continues. And investments mean much here. At the second business forum in Abkhazia, which ended in Sukhum recently, several investment projects in the field of energy, tourism and communications were presented. On this list is the construction of a railroad and the reconstruction of the local airport. “Though the national economy is still in the making, the first symptoms of economic growth are already visible”, Sergei Bagapsh says.

The people of Abkhazia must believe that the processes developing in the country are irreversible. Everything should be done on the basis of law and according to Parliament’s decisions. Business and investments need political stability. Once it is guaranteed, it will be much easier for businessmen to operate in any country ever.

Stability means business, and business, in its turn, means development, investments and calm. At first sight, a very simple formula. But stability and calm are of importance not only for Abkhazia. The development of the Caucasus Region at large is dependent on this.

10.20.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, The presence of Russian border guards in Abkhazia has brought peace and stability to the republic, the chief of Border Control of the Russian Federal Security Service in Abkhazia, Yuri Zviryk, said during a press-conference in Sukhum.

He added that the Russian and local border security forces have managed to find ways for productive cooperation.

They have jointly detained 1200 people involved in smuggling activities in 2010.

10.20.2010  The Voice of Russia

Gal, Russian physicians have already started treating patients in the Gal district of Abkhazia. In the first day alone, over 350 local people visited the field hospital set up under the “Mutual Help, Cooperation and Security” humanitarian act. Some illnesses are so neglected, the surgeons had to operate patients without delay.

“The field hospital set up near the district hospital has several specialists, including a cardiologist, a therapeutist, a trauma surgeon, a pediatrician and a dentist, like in a clinic in Moscow, says Svetlana Kalmykova. “It has equipment for ultra sound scanning of patients, X-Ray equipment and facilities for conducting various tests. Moreover, each patient should compulsorily take X-Ray because tuberculosis is very common in the district. Physicians treat patients from 9’clock in the morning to 6’clock in the evening without a break. There is an endless flow of patients. Some people have visited the field hospital more than once.

The Russian physicians worked here in May last year under a similar humanitarian action and treated over 5 thousand people not only from the Gal district but also from neighbouring districts and even from Georgia. They treated all because ethnicity has nothing to do with illnesses. The local people were waiting for the arrival of Russian physicians this time. “When I was told that physicians from Moscow had arrived, I came to the field hospital at once,” says a 52-year resident Gulya.

“I came to an ENT specialist, a neuropathologist and an eye specialist. Last year, I did not come. I was told that I can have a checkup. Consequently, I came here,” Gulya said.

The situation in medical service in the Gal district is poor. One problem is the lack of physicians. There are only 70 doctors for 80 thousand local residents. In fact, there are no specialists in various areas. As a result, a week-long action is of great significance for the people, says Valery Shabanov, the chief physician of the field hospital of the All-Russian Centre for Medicine of Catastrophes.

“Many specialists left Abkhazia when the situation there was unstable, and no money was allocated for the medical services,” says Valery Shabanov. “The residents have received poor quality medical services. Naturally, the arrival of leading specialists from Moscow is very important for them. We treat people and at the same time, we inspire hope in them for better life. We teach local physicians new methods of treating and making diagnosis. I hope that the short-term action will help to promote medical services in the Gal district of Abkhazia,” Valery Shabanov said.

The field hospital will work till the end of the week. The Russian physicians are ready to receive up to ten thousand patients.

10.19.2010  The Voice of Russia

Deauville, The French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking at a press conference after a meeting between him, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that Georgia must sign a treaty on the non-application of force against Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Diplomacy must overcome violence,” Mr. Sarkozy said.

Still, the French President added that it is desirable for Russia to agree to the presence of European observers in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

10.19.2010  The Voice of Russia

Moscow, A humanitarian event under the motto “Mutual assistance-cooperation and security”- is being held in Abkhazia from October 16th to  27th, under the instruction from President Dmitry Medvdev, in response to an appeal from leaders of Abkhazia. Svetlana Kalmykova who was at the opening of th charity event has filed in the following details from Abkhazia. Russian doctors have set up a field hospital in the Gal region on the border with Georgia, ready to attend to 400 outpatients per day. Gal was  chosen on purpose: the  region is one of the poorest in the republic, and for many years, residents of the region had no opportunity to receive qualified medical care.

Many local residents fought tooth and nail to get  medical attention in May last year when doctors visited the region; long queues formed  early in the morning. Highly qualified medical personnel from  the Russian Center of medical catastrophe defence have come again, brining with them modern equipment including  a field  laboratory, says Valery Shabanov, the Chief Medical Officer of the all-purpose center.

This is our second visit and Gal  region has become a  second home. We have come with different  specialisits,, such as in Ears, Nose and Throat or ENT, Eyes specialists, Dentists, Neurosurgeons and several other medical experts, who are to provide medical care to  the residents of the Gal region, Shabnov says.We brought  with us also medicines and in addition, we are expecting a  television linkup medical van to enable us to have  more detailed  consultations in complicated cases, Shabanoiv added.

Medical assistance is a part of the multifaceted humanitarian charity aid being rendered to Abkhazia by Russia, which involves the delivery of 25 tons of  goods, among which are 13  thousand books; educational and  master classes in teaching methods are to be organized for Abkhaz teachers. This humanitarian action for Abkhazia- the second in recent times is being put together by the Russian border guard service. It is becoming a tradition, says Mikhail Strekha- head of the department of strategic planning of the Russian FSB.

The Russian FSB is the coordinator of the action, since efforts will be focused first of all on the border regions. We will focus on Gal and Kadorsk regions, Strekha says.The major objective of the action is to support peace and stability in Abkhazia and in other Caucasus regions. In addition to recognizing the independence of the young republic, Russia is also helping it to become a  truly independent, sovereign and prosperous state.

10.18.2010  The Voice of Russia

Moscow, Russian companies are interested in developing business and trade relations, along with implementation of investment projects with Abkhazia, the Kremlin chief of staff said.

Sergei Naryshkin arrived in the Abkhazian capital of Sukhum to participate in a business forum.

"Today you have organized this great economic forum, which proves that our countries, [our] enterprises and companies are strongly interested in developing relations, in development of mutual trade, interested in implementation of small and large investment projects in Abkhazia, Naryshkin said.

Russian governors, non-governmental organizations and business representatives arrived to Abkhazia to participate in the forum, he said.

"This proves once again that big interest Russia has towards Abkazia," he added.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008, which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

10.16.2010  The Voice of Russia

 Russia withdraws checkpoint as South Ossetia “finally determines” border

Moscow, Moscow has decided to remove its South Ossetian border checkpoint, describing the move as “an exam for Georgia’s restraint and respectability.”

Russia wants Georgia to determine its position towards its two former republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said. The diplomat was heading a Russian delegation at the 13th round of discussions on security and stability in the Southern Caucasus, held in Geneva on Thursday.

Delegations from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia and the US were at the talks, held under the aegis of the UN, the EU and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

“It is time for Georgia to show where it stands politically,” Karasin told Interfax news agency. “It should either arrange normal relations with its neighbors from South Ossetia and Abkhazia in earnest or continue the campaign of their isolation and humiliation at all international forums.”

Karasin said the main result of the Geneva consultations can be seen in the fact that this year “is passing relatively calmly” along Georgia’s borders with the two republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

As a result of Thursday’s talks, the incident prevention and response group will shortly resume operation in South Ossetia’s Tskhinval Region.

Russia is going to withdraw its South Ossetian border checkpoint in the village of Perevi, claimed by Georgia, Karasin said after the talks in Geneva. The residential settlement is located “on the disputable geographic territory,” Itar-Tass quoted the diplomat as saying. The co-chairs of the talks have described the decision as “good news for stability and the implementation of a positive agenda,” he noted.

However, Karasin stressed that this was not only an “act of responsibility and goodwill,” but also “an exam for restraint and respectability of our Georgian partners.” In 2008, when the same checkpoint withdrew from the village, Georgian forces “briskly occupied Perevi and declared a major victory,” he recalled.

Now the territory of South Ossetia will be “finally determined”, Karasin said, adding that “nobody can any longer blame border guards for deployment on Georgian territory.” The border will be fully controlled by Russian border guards on the basis of bilateral agreements, he noted. Moscow also expects Georgia to undertake practical steps for stabilization, the diplomat said.

Tbilisi has insisted Russia was obliged to withdraw from Perevi after the six-point ceasefire agreement was signed in 2008.

Prior to the 13th round of talks in Geneva, Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said Tbilisi did not expect any specific result. Interfax quoted him as saying that Russia “dislikes this format which forces it to talk about withdrawing from Georgia and returning refugees.”

Meanwhile, South Ossetia’s delegation did not attend a meeting on the humanitarian taskforce held on the sidelines of the Geneva talks, in protest against the UN’s approval of the Georgian resolution on refugees and displaced persons from the two breakaway republics.

“It is unfair and dishonest to pass a resolution on humanitarian issues without the people it concerns,” Karasin said. He believes this position will not prevent the next round of discussions scheduled for December 16.

The South Ossetian delegation “declared intention to consider the return of Georgian refugees who abandoned South Ossetia in August 2008,” Itar-Tass quoted the diplomat as saying. South Ossetia made it clear that the republic’s residents of Georgian origin "enjoy the same rights,” Karasin stressed.

In a separate development, the Russian Foreign Ministry has described as a provocation the arrest and trial of three Russian citizens on money counterfeiting charges, in Batumi, the capital of Georgia’s republic of Adzharia.

The ministry’s spokesman Andrey Nesterenko on Thursday accused Georgian secret services of targeting Russians who were, in the past, connected with a former Russian military base in Batumi. Russia has strong grounds to suspect that the case has been fabricated, he said.

10.15.2010  RT

Russia has called on Georgia to normalize its relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“It’s decision time for Tbilisi – further maneuvering makes no sense and offers no prospect,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said in an interview with the Interfax agency.

Karasin led the Russian delegation at international talks on stability and security in the Caucasus.

A regular,the 13th, round of the talks is beginning in Geneva on Friday.A relative calm on the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetian borders is the practical result of the Geneva talks Mr. Karasin said.

10.14.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, Russia's oil giant Rosneft is beginning work on the shelf of the republic of Abkhazia, the Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday, quoting Abkhazia's President Sergei Bagapsh.

"Currently, work is under way to allocate territories for the operation and delivery equipment. So far, work is planned between Gudauta and Novy Afon. They are now hiring vessels in the places where they will work," Bagapsh said in an interview with Kommersant.

According to Bagapsh, seismic studies during the Soviet period showed that oil was largely concentrated in the Gudauta depression, between the Abkhaz capital of Sukhum and Gagry resort.

Bagapsh said that 22 oil wells had been drilled off Abkhazia during the Soviet period, which were later disused. The Abkhaz authorities decided to open one of the wells during the war with Georgia and a blockade of the republic, the paper said.

"We were in a difficult situation, we were not allowed to import petrol, but we needed it. I opened one (of the wells), and oil flew out of it under pressure, but it was accompanied by such a large amount of gas that we had to put it on hold again. At that time we were not yet ready as we lacked specialists and equipment," Bagapsh said, adding that the oil was of premium quality.

Bagapsh said that he shared environmentalists' concerns but added that all Black Sea littoral states were exploring the shelf "Georgia is exploring the shelf not far from us, practically at the border. Western companies also are working there. Turkey is drilling 130 wells ... Bulgarians, Rumanians and Ukrainians are also looking for oil on the Black Sea shelf. Russia will also be working near Anapa and Gelendzhik," Bagapsh said.

10.13.2010  RIA Novosti

 13th round of Geneva discussions on security ond stability in Transcaucasia scheduled for October 14

The 13th round of Geneva discussions on security and stability in Transcaucasia is scheduled for October, 14.

Taking part in the Geneva meetings on an equal basis are delegations from the Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of South Ossetia, the United States of America, and the representatives of the EU, UN and OSCE.

The Abkhaz delegation is led by Presidential Envoy to the negotiations Vyacheslav Chirikba, the Russian delegation by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/State Secretary Grigory Karasin.

According to the Russian MFA Information and Press Department, "High on the agenda is a review of the work of the joint incident prevention and response mechanisms, which play an important role as a real practical tool to enhance security and restore confidence on the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with Georgia”.

“Serious consideration will be given to humanitarian issues. Important here will be the vision of these problems from Sukhum and Tskhinval, which are denied the opportunity to convey it to the international community at other venues and forums”, the Foreign Ministry emphasizes.

“The main objective of the Geneva Discussions on Transcaucasia remains conclusion of a legally binding agreement on the nonuse of force by Georgia against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Russian side stands ready for a productive dialogue on all issues and looks forward to a constructive atmosphere of the upcoming meeting”.

On October 11 at a grand meeting in honour of the 18th  anniversary of the Armed Forces of the republic President Sergey Bagapsh declared that “our delegation had an intention to suspend its participation in it for a number of reasons. One of them is unwillingness of the Geneva discussions’ cochairmen, first of all the USA, to proceed from the real state of affairs and permanent attempts to impose absolutely other subjects to discuss, avoiding the main one – the document on the non-renewal of hostilities. Moreover, the position of the Abkhaz party has never been taken into consideration”, the head of state said.

According to him, “after some high-ranking European diplomats have visited Abkhazia and have given guarantees of climate change in the course of discussions we made the decision to continue our participation in them”.

Sergey Bagapsh added that “the upcoming meetings will be difficult. It is connected with the US Secretary of State madam Clinton’s statements regarding direct support to Georgia and the US readiness to go till the end in this process. We regard such a statement as the US readiness to support even a Georgia’s military operation against us”.

According to Bagapsh, “the status of the co-chairman of the Geneva peace discussions which the United States possess, and frankly expressed American policy in this aspect are absolutely incompatible”.

“Our delegation has received instructions to clearly emphasize disapproval of such a policy by Abkhazia and to notify the discussions participants that the Geneva resource is being quickly reduced. Every time their further lack of prospects becomes more and more obvious”, he emphasized.

Having agreed to take part in them according to Medvedev-Sarkozy plan, Bagapsh said, “we hoped for their impartiality and fruitfulness. However this process is turned into a political farce by some cochairmen’s efforts. And if our doubts are not finally exploded by concrete actions of all parties we will not participate in this masquerade”, the President concluded.

10.12.2010  Official site of the President of the republic of Abkhazia

The main task of the Geneva talks on the Caucasus is to reach a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force by Georgia against South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

This was a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the upcoming October 14th round of consultations.

The parties will discuss measures to prevent conflicts on the Georgian border with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

International discussions in Geneva were initiated after the August 2008 crisis, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia and threatened Abkhazia.

Russia sent troops into South Ossetia and forced the aggressors to peace.

10.12.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Abkhazia has moved a number of versions associated with the attack on members of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Abkhazia (SAM) committed on October 8 in the city of Gudauta.

"The versions have been moved on the basis of collected and analyzed information obtained as a result of investigative and operational activities both under the present criminal case and in the criminal cases initiated in connection of earlier committed murder of Chakmachoglu Emmik, an official of the SAMA, and a murder attempt of Salikh Kuaratskheliya last summer," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the local GPO's press service.

According to the source, "a version is considered of involvement of radical Islamists from abroad, who had failed to find support to radical Islam in Abkhazia, in the above crimes."

The investigation also does not rule out the version of involvement of foreign special services "with the aim to kindle inter-confessional enmity in Abkhazia and destabilize friendly relations with the Russian Federation."

The investigation is under supervision of the local GPO.

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Abkhazia (SAMA) has regarded what happened on October 8 in Gudauta as a terror act and expressed deep indignation with "another brutal and savage action." The SAMA treats this act as "a demonstrative murder attempt, harassment and intimidation of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia professing Islam, runs the SAMA's statement.

The SAMA also appeals to Muslim organizations of the Russian Federation, Turkey and Middle East, where numerous Abkhaz-Adyg Diasporas live and to international human rights organizations "to draw attention to the events occurring in respect of the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia, professing Islam." The SAMA also calls on the Abkhazian Orthodox Church and other religious communities of the republic "to react and express their attitude to these tragic events."

11.10.2010  Kavkazkiy Uzel

Gudauta, One man was killed when a group of Muslims were attacked as they left a mosque in Abkhazia.

Arsaul Pliya, 34, was shot dead in the attack in the town of Gudauta on October 8. Two brothers, Rustam and Raul Gytsba, were wounded.

The attackers opened fire on the men from a passing car that was later found burned out near the village of Achandara.

Investigators told RFE/RL the car is registered in the name of Zaporozhets in the town of Khimki, near Moscow. Neither Russian nor border guards on the border crossing from Russia into Abkhazia have any information regarding the car.

Beslan Kutsnia, the first deputy of the prosecutor-general in Abkhazia, told RFE/RL the case looks similar to one that happened in Gudauta in 2007, when Islamic official Khamzat (Rokki) Gytsba and Ruslan Assadulin, his friend from the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, were shot dead by attackers who also used a car that was registered abroad and later found burned.

The incident is the third attack against Muslims in Abkhazia in the last two months. The leader of Muslims in Gagra district, Emik Chakmachogly, was killed and the imam of the mosque in Sukhum, Salikh Kuaratskhelia, survived an assassination attempt in August.

About 15 percent of the people living in Abkhazia are Muslim.

10.09.2010  APSUAA RIBJI

The recent calls by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Russia to withdraw its military forces from South Ossetia and Abkhazia are putting on the line the entire process of peaceful settlement in the Caucasus.

Clinton's call came as opened a recent meeting in Washington of a committee on strategic partnership between the US and Georgia. She  reiterated Washington's continued support for Tbilisi and criticized Russia's "occupation" of two breakaway Georgian regions.

It looks like President Barack Obama and his Secretary o State have recently  been pursuing a two-pronged tack where Obama is trying to mend fences with Moscow and Clinton goes around taking angry swipes at Moscow.

Mrs. Clinton's recent statement has triggered an angry reaction in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia whose Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioev sees this as just another provocation aimed at stoking up tensions in the region.  He said that Russia troops were stationed in his republic fully in line with the terms of bilateral accords signed by two sovereign states - Russia and South Ossetia.  In Sukhum, the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry  issued a equally angry statement describing Russia as a guarantor of  a non-resumption of a military aggression on the part of Georgia.

People in both these republics  see Washington's openly pro-Georgian policy as a road to nowhere. Indeed, while Russia is meticulously  implementing all the provisions of the Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan  Georgia, apparently leaning on Washington's assistance,  flatly refuses to promise not to attack  South Ossetia again and is hatching aggressive plans against Abkhazia.  With Hillary Clinton's statement coming in the walkup to the  next round of the Geneva talks on security in the Caucasus, Abkhazia has already  hinted it might stay away from the upcoming meeting.

In Moscow Alexei Vlasov with the  Center on Post-Soviet Studies says that Hillary Clinton's broadside  coming ahead of the Geneva parley is sending a clear signal to Moscow that Washington  is not about to give up on Saakashvili and recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as a fait accompli....

As to Russia's stand on the issue, it remains unchanged: the presence of Russian troops in both these republics ensures peace and prevents extremist forces to sow hatred and spill more blood...

10.09.2010  The Voice of Russia

Sukhum, Abkhazia reacted furiously on Friday to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"We continue to call on Russia to end its occupation of Georgian territory, withdraw its forces and abide by its other commitments under the 2008 cease-fire agreements," Clinton said on Wednesday.

Clinton also called this summer for Russia to pull out of the two republics.

An Abkhazian Foreign Ministry statement said the Russian troops "ensure the non-resumption of hostilities by Georgia, which is hatching plans for another military invasion of Abkhazia."

It also asked the state secretary to clarify her use of the term "occupation of Georgian territory."

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states two weeks after a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008, which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.

Since then, Russia has deployed thousands of troops and border guards to the two regions, which Georgia considers part of its sovereign territory.

10.08.2010  RIA Novosti