Abkhaz Official: Confidence-Building is Needed for IDP Return

In the current situation, the return of Georgian internally displaced persons to the entire territory of Abkhazia is impossible as ?it could lead to new bloodshed and consequently to a new Georgian-Abkhaz war,? Sergey Bagapsh, foreign minister of breakaway Abkhazia, said at a news conference in Moscow on February 17.

He said that the Georgian side?s policy towards Abkhazia does not contribute to confidence-building between the Georgians and Abkhazia, which makes no favorable conditions for the Georgian IDPs to return.

But he also said that the Abkhaz side does not oppose the return of Georgians to the Gali District of breakaway region, which is already populated predominantly by ethnic Georgians.

?The return of refugees to other regions is impossible now,? Shamba said.

During a meeting in Geneva on February 12-13, the Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General reaffirmed the right of internally displaced persons and refugees to return to Abkhazia and ?in the first instance to Gali.?

Sergey Shamba denied allegations that Abkhaz citizenship is forcefully imposed on returned Georgian refugees in the Gali District.
 
?This is not true. We have other forms of legalization for those people,? Shamba added.