Sukhumi Proposes Peace Treaty with Tbilisi
Vice President of breakaway Abkhazia Valeri Arshba told Abkhaz State Television on 8 January that peace agreement with Georgia, which would prevent resumption of hostilities in the region, would be a favorable foundation for beginning talks with Georgia’s new leadership.
He also said that disbanding of “the gangs and armed groups that are committing terrorist acts and sabotage in Abkhazia” would have a positive impact on the peace process and “build mutual trust.”
In one of his public speeches, President-elect Mikheil Saakashvili ruled out use of force in restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity and said, “the only way [to restore territorial integrity] is to use economic leverages.”
“I am sure, that if the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sides see that the economy is growing in Georgia they will come to us. We should attract them with economic opportunities,” Mikheil Saakashvili said in December.
