Russia Threatens Occupied Abkhazia with Funding Cuts and Citizenship Revocation, Demands “Fulfillment of Obligations”
The minutes of the meeting between the de-facto Abkhaz leader Aslan Bzhania and Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak, circulated by the Abkhaz media outlets, indicate that Russia is using pressure measures to force the occupied region to “fulfill its obligations” vis-a vis Moscow, threatening with cuts in funding and depriving Abkhaz so-called members of Parliament and “opposition members”, who oppose the “apartment law” of the Russian citizenship.
The protocol of the August 19 meeting (dated August 26) instructs the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and the Ministry of Finance to cut funding to Abkhazia after September 1, 2024, until the occupied region “unconditionally fulfills its obligations” to Moscow, which include ratification of the “agreement” on mutual recognition of court and arbitration decisions; ensuring the entry into force of the “agreement” on implementation of investment projects by Russian legal entities on the territory of Abkhazia; lifting restrictions on Russian investors in the commercial real estate market (on apartments).
The above mentioned “commitments” are part of the so-called “Agreement between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia on Assistance to the Implementation of the State Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Abkhazia for 2022-2025” and are referred to as Obligations in the document
The protocol takes note of the “obligations of the Abkhaz side (Aslan Bzhania)” to submit information on the members of the so-called parliament of the region and “leaders of the Abkhaz opposition” who have Russian citizenship and act “to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation and the development of Russian-Abkhaz relations by September 20, 2024 for further consideration of the issue of stripping them of the Russian citizenship.”
The document also instructs the executive and the legislative branches of the Russian Federation to minimize contacts with the so-called members of Parliament of the occupied region, “in connection with their unconstructive position on the fulfillment of the Obligations to the Russian side.”
Finally, the protocol also instructs the Russian Ministry of Energy to inform the so-called “government” of Abkhazia on supplying electricity to the occupied region in the fall-winter period of 2024 “exclusively on a commercial basis.”
The controversial so-called law titled “On Regulation of the Legal Status of Aparthotels and Apartments” would allow Russians to buy apartments in occupied Abkhazia, which was previously illegal. Locals have been protesting the adoption of these regulations for the past year, citing concerns about the potential for skyrocketing prices, damage to the hospitality industry, and the possible upsetting of the region’s demographic balance. Following the massive discontent in Abkhazia, it was decided to withdraw the so-called draft law on July 25, 2024 “in order to ease tensions and preserve stability.”
Also Read:
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
