Abkhazia Remains Anxious about Regional Security
The public council of the Abkhaz foreign affairs establishment met on 15 September to discuss global and regional security developments according to the local Apsnypress agency. The meeting was chaired by Inal Ardzinba, the occupied province’s top diplomat.
Inal Ardzinba emphasized at the start of the meeting that the geopolitical situation both in the world and the region is complicated and “there are many forces aimed at diverting Russia’s military and economic resources away from the Donbas.”
In that vein, he claimed, “One of them is Georgia, which is actively conducting exercises with NATO, purchasing drones, and making attempts to produce them on its own territory.”
“This is not how they prepare for peace, this is how they prepare for war,” he stressed and reportedly indicated that the likelihood of Georgia unleashing a conflict in Abkhazia is “quite high.”
Sergei Shamba, secretary of the security council, stated that Georgia is “between two fires” and that the question of a second front opening up against Russia will depend on the “success” of its invasion of Ukraine.
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“If the situation in Ukraine develops in favor of Russia, Georgia will behave with restraint, otherwise Tbilisi’s possible actions against Russia may receive support from many countries,” he purported.
Shamba underscored the need for Abkhazia to develop relations with the Russian-occupied Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). “We have been through it all and we understand their pain,” he said.
Shamba also stressed that the world has entered a “new stage, and this is due to upheavals.” He compared the current situation in the world with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the Soviet Union and the U.S. came closest to nuclear conflict, but added that the situation today “is even more difficult.”
Temur Gulia, head of a public organization of veterans “Aruaa” known for its hardline stance, stated that the Russian war against Ukraine is moving into a “tougher phase” and proposed actions to strengthen the military security of Abkhazia.
Gulia underscored the need to organize a line of defense along the Enguri River through the construction of fortifications and to begin work on activating civil defense.
Temur Nadaraia, former head of the Gali administration, said it was necessary for Abkhazia to ramp up its efforts in sending humanitarian aid to the Donbas.
Additionally, he agreed with his colleagues’ anxieties about a possible outbreak of conflict with Georgia and raised the need to create a warning system in case of possible hostilities from Georgia.
Nadaraia said that the media should tell citizens where bomb shelters are located and that the population should be trained so that “everyone knows what to do.”
Alkhas Bartsits, a member of parliament, revealed that active work is underway on drafting new agreements of friendship and cooperation between Abkhazia and the DPR and LPR which will be signed by the end of the year.
In the same vein as his colleagues, Bartsits said that voters are concerned about the lack of a plan of action if conflict breaks out with Georgia and said that “local headquarters and a single center coordinating our actions should be organized.
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