Sergei Shamba: It is Necessary to Talk
On November 29, Sergei Shamba, the so-called “secretary of the security council” and “ex-Prime Minister” of occupied Abkhazia in a live conversation with the former Chairman of the Government-in-exile of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia Vakhtang Kolbaia, emphasized the importance of communication in the pursuit of building mutual understanding between Georgians and Abkhazians.
“I have spoken on this subject many times and many in Abkhazian society do not like my position . . . but I have always said that if there is a problem, first of all it is necessary to talk,” Shamba said answering the moderator’s question about the importance of public diplomacy between Abkhazians and Georgians. He added that “there aren’t peoples, or neighbors, I have said that many times… which haven’t fought with each other.”
Shamba underlined that it is necessary to look for opportunities for further peaceful coexistence “in order not to leave our children and grandchildren this conflict.” For this, Shamba believes “there is need to talk and look for opportunities for peaceful coexistence. But many do not understand this.”
Shamba noted that in Abkhazia, as well as in the rest of Georgia, there are still people with aggressive attitudes. However, this will pass with time, he noted. According to him, during his time as a de-facto foreign minister of occupied Abkhazia, he supported public diplomacy with Georgians because “it was important to learn each other’s positions.” “It’s very important to start moving the problem forward from the stalemate,” he said adding that he thinks “we should use different channels for communication.”
Also Read:
- 19/10/2023 – Sergei Shamba: “Abkhazia is part of the Russian World”
- 11/11/2022 – Shamba: The West Pushes Georgia for Opening “Second Front” in Abkhazia
- 21/12/2020 – Abkhazia’s Shamba Tells Tbilisi: ‘We Are Ready to Talk’
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
