Demonstrators stormed the parliament and the presidential residence in Abkhazia to thwart the conclusion of an investment agreement with Russia. He also insisted on the resignation of President Aslan Bzhania, informed ARD, who, according to media reports, has left Sukhumi.
How Abkhazia turned out to be (in)dependent
Abkhazia broke away from Georgia after a war in the early 1990s and declared itself an independent republic. And after a second war in 2008. Russia recognized the independence of the troubled region and sent its military contingent there, the German media recalls.
Georgia and its allies define this as a Russian occupation of Abkhazia. However, the majority of the population there, numbering 240 thousand people, does not feel connected to Russia, although Abkhazia is financially and energy dependent on Moscow. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists provide vital income to the breakaway region, which mainly produces coal, which Ahaziah sells to Turkey.
Fears of Russia selling out
Residents of Abkhazia, however, oppose Moscow's political influence and especially laws that allow foreigners to acquire land and housing. They fear that their country will be sold out to Russia. Ethnic Abkhazians in particular fear becoming a minority again, as during the Soviet Union, when ethnic Georgians were the majority.
The current unrest is the culmination of protests against President Bzhania, considered a Kremlin confidant. In particular, the discontent was provoked by the fact that the rehabilitation of the abandoned local airport was awarded to an investor with close ties to Moscow. According to the opposition, the contract is so unprofitable that the investor may turn out to be the owner of the object.
Representatives of civil society define the investment agreement with Russia as extremely disadvantageous for Abkhazia. Economy Minister Christina Ozgan signed it in Moscow without the necessary parliamentary approval. Before the vote on the investment agreement, hundreds stormed the parliament and the presidency building. According to some reports, there were law enforcement officers who sided with the demonstrators. Meanwhile, the presidential press office signaled that the agreement may be withdrawn.
Of strategic importance
President Aslan Bzhania is unable to balance successfully between the pressure from Moscow and the very alert civil society in Abkhazia. For Russia, the 240-kilometer long coastline is of strategic importance, and the Black Sea is becoming increasingly important as part of the transport corridor between Asia and Europe. Georgia has plans to build a deep-sea port near Abkhazia, and the European Union (EU) wants to lay a cable on the seabed for telecommunications and electricity transmission.
Against the background of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, Abkhazia is gaining more and more military importance. In October 2023 Bzhaniya told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that he had reached an agreement with Russia to establish a permanent base for the Russian navy in Ochamchira. The port there is a base for the Russian FSB secret service, to which border troops are also subordinate. The facility is to be expanded to accommodate warships, ARD informs.