Bagapsh Calls for a Lift of Economic Sanctions on Abkhazia

Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh said in the interview with Apsnypress that economic sanctions imposed by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on the unrecognized republic in 1996 should be lifted.

“The tendencies observed in the process of negotiations [over Abkhaz conflict resolution] confirm that the use of sanctions was a mistake,” Bagapsh said on January 19.

He stressed that these economic sanctions have significantly worsened the social-economic situation in breakaway Abkhazia. “We are convinced that this decision by the CIS member states should be cancelled,” Bagapsh added.