Abkhaz Leader Denies Discussing ‘Partition Deal’

Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh has denied media reports that he had discussed a proposal on dividing Abkhazia into Russian and Georgian zones of influence at a meeting with the Russian leadership, including President Medvedev.

“I have learned about the existence of a kind of plan to divide Abkhazia into zones of influence from the newspaper,” Interfax quoted Bagapsh as saying on June 27. “Claims that this plan was discussed during the meeting with Dmitry Medvedev are groundless. We didn’t even discuss anything close to this.”

The Russian daily Kommersant reported on June 27 that Tbilisi had proposed to Moscow to divide Abkhazia, with Gali and Ochamchire districts under Tbilisi control and areas to the north of Ochamchire under de facto Russian control. Kommersant also reported that Moscow was taking the proposal seriously and had even discussed it with the Abkhaz leadership.

Interfax quoted a source from the Abkhaz leader’s administration as saying: “Can anyone imagine Sergey Bagapsh giving the Georgians control of part of our territory and especially the Ochamchire district? – Bagapsh himself is from Ochamchire.”

Sergey Shamba, the foreign minister of breakaway Abkhazia, said that the reported plan was “absurd.”

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