Sukhum, "The round table” taken place today in the Presidential Administration with participation of the Head of the State was dedicated to the problem of preservation and development of the Abkhaz language.  
 

Deputies of the Parliament, representatives of scientific and creative intelligentsia, the Abkhaz State University, the State fund for development of the Abkhaz language, the Ministry of Education took part in the event.  
 

According to the President Sergey Bagapsh, the Abkhaz language cannot develop independently; it needs assistance and support, efforts of scientists and intelligentsia are necessary.
 

According to the head of the Presidential Administration Valery Arshba, in 2007 the State program for the Abkhaz language development has been worked out and approved. ‘The things planned in accordance with this program have been done for the most part. In 2008 24 books which have been selected by the ASU and Academy of Sciences commission were published. 3 million rubles have been allotted for this”, Arshba said. Thus he regretfully ascertained that it has not yet been possible to organize a laboratory on the Abkhaz language implantation into computer technologies, what requires 12 million rubles by the experts’ estimate. Valery Arshba expressed hope that till the end of this year this idea will be realized.
 

In this connection the rector of ASU Aleko Gvaramiya mentioned that work on the Abkhaz language implantation into computer technologies had been in progress for more than half a year already, however the experts invited from outside of Abkhazia, had not been paid yet. The President connected this problem with the defects of the State Commission on problems of the Abkhaz language development. “There should be no problems as far as the development of our state language is concerned”, Bagapsh said and charged Valery Arshba to look into the matter urgently and take necessary measures.
 

According to the President, it is necessary that youth should read the books published, it is necessary to teach children to think in the Abkhaz language. In this connection Sergey Bagapsh mentioned the great work done by the State Fund for the Abkhaz language development. But, nevertheless, according to the Head of the State, “this is not enough”.
 

Philologist Sariya Amichba, speaking about the problems of the Abkhaz language development, focused attention on advertising production, signboards and notices all over the city and the republic as a whole. In her opinion, there should be a special departments dedicated to the Abkhaz language development in the press; expeditions of scientists to study Abkhaz-Adygh languages and traditions are necessary. She also considers that when entering high schools entrants should have an interview on the Abkhaz etiquette. “It is necessary to widely celebrate the Day of the Abkhaz language annually”, Amichba said and offered to set the anniversary of the International Association of Abkhaz-Abasin people for the Day of the Abkhaz language this year.  
 

A deputy of the Parliament Valery Kvarchiya underlined that the problem of the Abkhaz language is always discussed, but no session or meeting is held in the Abkhaz language, including in the Parliament. “Until in the higher echelons of power they start to speak Abkhaz and to hold events in the state language, the problem will not be solved. We do not have a single law in the Abkhaz language. That’s why we should start with us”, Kvarchiya said.
 

According to the scientist Boris Dzhonua, “until the Abkhaz school becomes really Abkhaz, the problem is hard to solve”. “Our school is Abkhaz only to the fourth grade, and it is necessary that children should also study other subjects in the native language in senior school, especially, when there are scientists ready to translate both biology and geography into the Abkhaz language”, Dzhonua said. In his opinion, the law on the state language does not work.
 

According to the Minister of Education Indira Vardaniya, experts scrutinize periodically the situation with the Abkhaz language. For 4, 5 years, despite the existing problems, the Ministry of Education with the state support has published 35 textbooks and methodical manuals. In her opinion, it is important to know the language, but it is even more important to use it. “Frequently, beyond the bounds of school children do not hear the Abkhaz language, but for some reason all problems are connected with schools”, she said.    
 

According to the Vice Speaker of the Parliament Irina Agrba, the problem of the Abkhaz language is not new, but new approaches are necessary, it is necessary to change teaching methods as the language is difficult fort children to learn. She offered to create a parliamentary commission on monitoring the work of the law on the state (Abkhaz) language. “The Parliament can do a lot as far as this issue is concerned”, Agrba believes.
 

The problem of repatriation was also discussed at the “round table”. According to the scientist Jury Argun, solving the problem of Muhajirs’ descendents return to the historical Motherland can help to solve the problem of the Abkhaz language preservation. “However the State Repatriation Committee does not deal with this problem. Modern courses on the Abkhaz language are necessary. It turns out that repatriates learn Russian rather than Abkhaz. Only the International Association of the Abkhaz-Abasin people organizes courses on the Abkhaz language for representatives of Diaspora returning from abroad”, Jury Argun said.
 

Besides, according to the scientist, in Sukhum there is no hostel to accommodate temporarily the returning Muhajirs’ descendents. In this connection the rector of ASU informed that this problem starts to be solved, ASU intends to solve in the near future the problem with a hostel for ASU students where repatriates also study.
 

The President stated that he intends to invite advertising experts within the next few days, and to ask from them about responsibility according to the law on advertisement.
 

Valery Arshba offered to create a group of interpreters for advertising production.

06.23.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Either Abkhaz or Russian frontier guards have nothing to do with firing at the post in the village of Muzhava – Zurab Marganiya

Sukhum, The chief of the frontier group of the State Security Service of Abkhazia Zurab Marganiya denies information of the Georgian mass-media on connection of the Abkhaz and Russian frontier guards to the incident in Muzhava (Tsalendzhikh district, Western Georgia).

On June 22 the "Imedi" Georgian TV company has spread information that from the direction of the Russian-Abkhaz post in the village of Saberio a police post in the village of Muzhava of the Tsalendzhikh district (Western Georgia), near the border with Abkhazia, had been fired. According to the TV company, the post had been fired at six in the morning, the Georgian party fired back. Exchange of fire had lasted for about twenty minutes, no victims.

“We also learnt about the incident from the electronic mass-media, but either Abkhaz, or Russian frontier guards have nothing to do with what has happened in Muzhava”, Marganiya said.

"Along the entire perimeter of the border joint frontier posts which perform duties in a customary regime have been posted”, he specified.

According to the Georgian TV company, the day before in the same area one person had been lost and one seriously wounded when the EU Observer Mission’s car blew up on an anti-tank mine.

06.22.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 The national passport of the citizen of Abkhazia as a document establishing identity of the citizen has been recognized by Russia since 2008, the Ambassador of Russia in Abkhazia

 Leadership of Abkhazia hope for the possibility of further partner cooperation with the United Nations Organization, may be on a new basis already – SERGEY SHAMBA

Sukhum, The Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Shamba sent a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon with gratitude for the invaluable contribution made by the UN Observer Mission in the process of promoting stability and security in the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia.
 

“In connection with the cease of the UN Mission’s activity in the territory of Abkhazia allow me to express gratitude for the work carried out and the support rendered to our Republic during its hard period. The UN Observer Mission has made an invaluable contribution to the process of promoting stability and security in the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia. The Mission’s employees, frequently losing their own lives, throughout the period of the peace-making operation in Abkhazia since 1993 have carried out the duties on arranging negotiations and promoting peace in the region with honor and dignity”, the letter of the Minister says.
 

“In 2001, as a result of a periodic armed provocation of the Georgian party, the UN Mission’s helicopter in which 6 employees of the Organization were lost has been brought down in the territory of Abkhazia. These victims will be never forgotten by the people of Abkhazia”, Sergey Shamba assured the Secretary General of the United Nations.
 

The head of the foreign policy department of Abkhazia evaluated the role of the United Nations “in promoting peace and security” in the region and the world as a whole.  
 

Abkhazia always supported preservation of the UN Observer Mission in its territory, however, according to Shamba, “in connection with military aggression of Georgia against South Ossetia in August, 2008 and the subsequent withdrawal of Georgia from the Moscow agreement of May 14, 1994, the former UN Mission’s mandate was not consistent with the real state of affairs”.
 

“There was an exigency to revise the Mission’s mandate. The Abkhaz party, following the desire to preserve the Mission’s presence, realised all the complexity of the situation and offered different compromises. However, some countries members of the Security Council decided not to take into consideration the opinion of the Abkhaz party and continued to insist on extension of the former UN Mission’s mandate, referring to the resolution 1808 adopted in April 2008, before the armed aggression of Georgia which changed the real situation in the region”, the letter reads.
 

Shamba is certain that “the attempt to revise the UN Mission’s mandate, unfortunately, failed because of a biased position of some countries which have shown disrespect for the fundamental, basic principle, being a key one in the United Nations Organization Charter, namely a right of the people to self-determination”.
 

“We have repeatedly declared that our relations with the United Nations Organization within the frameworks of the existing mandate are unacceptable any longer. In the light of recognitions of our independence the United Nations Mission could not be considered as the UN Mission in Georgia any longer, it contradicted simple logic. We fairly believed that the United Nations Mission, carrying out the activity, should be neutral, equidistant and unbiased”, the letter says.  
 

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia considers the draft resolution offered by the UN Security Council to be “inadequate to the current situation and absolutely unacceptable for the Abkhaz party”. “Actually it would be aimed at denying the existence of Abkhazia as a state, and, as we have repeatedly declared, we could not agree on it under any circumstances”, Shamba underlined.
 

Shamba once again confirmed that “the leadership of Abkhazia hope for the possibility of further partner cooperation with the United Nations Organization, may be on a new basis already”.

06.17.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 The responsibility for the withdrawal from the region of the observers and staff of the UN Mission lies with the western states which have been demonstrating over-ideologized stubbornness for months now - Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Sukhum, Despite the warnings from Russia, a group of western UN Security Council members nevertheless put to the vote in the Council a draft resolution on a “technical roll-over” for the UN Mission in the Abkhaz-Georgian border area until June 30. It was again burdened with unacceptable references and terminology which, as our partners well knew, we cannot accept since Abkhazia as an independent state does not figure in it. Besides, there is no sense to again extend the mandate of UN observers, formed to oversee the ceasefire in 1994. It won’t do in the present situation. Of key significance for continued work of UN observers in this region is the new security regime agreed with the UNSC partners. It was in this regard that the Russian draft resolution was prepared and submitted on June 12 in New York. Unfortunately, we did not see the readiness to make this sensible decision.
 

In this connection the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations was given instructions to exercise the right of veto in the UNSC vote on the western draft resolution. Serious decisions in the realm of security cannot be tied to moves of a political nature removed from reality. Thus, the mandate of the former United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia has expired, and it starts wrapping up its operations in Abkhazia and Georgia.
 

It is beyond doubt that the responsibility for the withdrawal from the region of the observers and staff of the UN Mission, whose long-standing work was generally positively received in Moscow, in Sukhum and in New York, lies with the western states which have been demonstrating over-ideologized stubbornness for months now. They, it seems, do not need UN observers who would hamper use-of-force relapses of the Tbilisi leadership. What turned out to be considerably more important was the desire by hook or by crook to underscore in the draft UNSC resolution the existence of Georgia within its previous, pre-August 2008, borders and to simultaneously erase Abkhazia from the political map of Transcaucasia and revive the state of “unsettledness of the conflict” which has actually been settled.
 

The Russian side approached the matter seriously and constructively, and repeatedly sought to find solutions mutually acceptable to all. The partners have no right to reproach us with the lack of desire to seek a compromise. We continuously urged them to forge effective cooperation involving all the international entities previously operating in the region. The Russian military and border guards, despite the bilateral character of the agreements concluded by the Russian Federation with the Republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the military and border spheres, stand ready to continue to foster interaction with the UN and OSCE and with the European Union monitors, particularly within the framework of the joint mechanisms to prevent and respond to incidents in the border areas.
 

The closure of the OSCE Mission in Georgia, the soon to expire period of work of the twenty OSCE military observers in the zones of Georgia adjacent to South Ossetia, and now also the wrap-up of the UN Mission in the Abkhaz-Georgian border area – these facts are built into a tendency which leaves us wondering about the true strivings of Georgia and its backers in terms of the assurance of security and stability, restoration of trust and the fostering of good-neighborly ties among the states of the region. The rejection of our proposal to work out legally binding documents on the nonuse of force also makes us cautious.
 

There is less and less doubt that the protracted domestic political instability in Georgia spurs the Tbilisi regime to again try and switch attention to “external enemies,” to the problem of its own territorial integrity. This is not the first time the Georgian leadership thus attempts to avoid dealing with the vital socioeconomic tasks before the country. We will not be surprised if following the withdrawal of the international UN observers Tbilisi will seek to lure into their place those who suit the Georgian leaders more.
 

In the region in accordance with the agreement between Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia will continue its work. Despite certain questions that we have about it, in particular, concerning its potential effectiveness in the event of new aggressive proclivities on the part of Georgia, the presence of the EU observers in the Georgian territories adjacent to Abkhazia and South Ossetia is a weighty restraining factor. We stand ready to continue and strengthen our cooperation with the European Union in this field, including joint work in the mechanisms to prevent incidents.
 

For its part, the Russian Federation will continue efforts aimed at ensuring the reliable security of the new young states in Transcaucasia and their economic and social development. Together with the allies from Abkhazia and South Ossetia we will once again review the situation, the new risks arising out of it owing to the absence of other key restraining elements of international monitoring, and the requirements in additional measures to reinforce security.

06.17.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon has taken note of lack of agreement within the UN Security Council on the further activity of the UN Mission in a zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. In accordance with this outcome the Secretary General instructed to cease the UN Mission’s operations, effective June 16, the statement released by the spokesperson on behalf of the UN Head says.
 

Ban Ki-Moon regretted that the Security Council had been unable to reach agreement on the basis of a package of practical and realistic proposals aimed at contributing to a stabilization of the situation, which the Secretary General had submitted to the Security Council.
 

The Secretary General extended his appreciation to all men and women who served the Mission, and to the countries which provided them. Ban Ki-Moon expressed his profound tribute to the memory of those who had lost their lives in the service of peace in the region.

06.17.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Gennady Lakoba’s sculpture pronounced the best in the competition of projects of a monument to Muhajirs in Sukhum

Sukhum, The sculpture of a known Abkhaz artist Gennady Lakoba was pronounced the best in the competition of projects of a monument to Muhajirs in Sukhum. The competition was summed up today, on June 16, in the Central showroom of the Union of Artists.
 

In 2008 a state commission on carrying out an open competition headed by the First Vice Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaya was set up.
 

The jury selected five compositions, including the works of representatives of Diaspora in Turkey; of Amiran Adlejba and Tamara Lakrba; of Miron Hagba; of Ruslan Kaslandziya and Svetlana Shamenkova; of Gennady Lakoba.
 

The Minister of Culture Nugzar Logua, a judge, informed that all were unanimous in opinion that Gennady Lakoba's sculpture reflects the tragedy of Muhajirun the most brightly. Thus he noted great workmanship and professionalism of other works selected for the competition. “But the tragedy theme is insufficiently expressed in them”, Logua said.
 

The winner of the competition shared with the journalists that he had worked over the composition for 30 years. “The conditional composition created many years ago, was transformed to a more realistic form, having preserved a basis from the former composition. And the basis comes to that three points of rest are also pedestals what excludes automatically an architectural heap from this composition. The problem was to create such sculptural a composition that would be interesting, being installed not only in Abkhazia, but in any other country”, he said.
 

Gennady Lakoba said that he would try to make the original monument to Muhajirs for a year and a half. The architectural works will be carried out in parallel.
 

The Minister of Culture underlined that there would be no problems with financing the project.
 

In the XIX-th century as a result of the Caucasian war thousand of Abkhaz left the historical home and found refuge in the Middle East countries. Descendants of the Abkhaz Muhajirs live in 50 countries. The most numerous Diaspora is in Turkey.

06.17.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

“The European Union, declaring that it will never recognize Abkhazia, putting pressure upon the countries, wishing to recognize Abkhazia, shows obviously spiteful attitude to us from the political point of view, and we will not agree on its presence here”, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia Sergey Shamba told the journalists upon termination of the meeting with the Deputy Head of the UN Mission.

According to him, “the Georgian illusions just have led to cease of the UN Mission in Abkhazia”. “The Georgian leadership hoped that the United Nations would cease the activity and would be automatically replaced by the EU. They are constantly hoping for some outside forces. As far as one remembers, how under Shevardnadze they, being on their knees begged to admit them to the CIS, then hoped for the United Nations in solving the problems with Abkhazia and when the NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, Shevardnadze started to estimate critically the United Nations role, calling it an outdated organization. The NATO did not justify Georgia’s hopes, and now all hopes are on the EU. Our border with Georgia is reliably locked, and no EU representative will get in any way to our territory without our wish”, Sergey Shamba stated.

06.17.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 UN Secretary General regrets that UN Security Council have been unable to reach agreement on the UN mission in  region of Georgia and Abkhazia

 Russia plays important role in world poltics, takes active part in new world order formation - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia

“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia testifies the respect to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and has the honor to congratulate on this great day all the multinational Russian people on the main state holiday of the country the Day of the Russian Federation”, the telegramme of congratulation of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia to the Russian colleagues says.

According to the foreign policy department, “in a short space of time fundamental changes have happened in the life of Russia”. “Your state had to overcome one of the most difficult periods in its history, to build a new state, to adapt to new realities of the modern world. Today the international authority of Russia is steadily growing, and foreign policy positions of the state are becoming stronger. Russia plays an important role in the world politics, takes an active part in new world order formation”, the telegramme reads.

In the opinion of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, “efforts and initiatives of the Russian Federation in the field of promoting international and regional security are invaluable”. “The Russian diplomacy follows confidently and consistently the balanced foreign policy aimed at stable and safe world order formation, establishment of interdepartmental relations in the manner of partnership and cooperation”.

The telegramme underlines that “Russia played an important role throughout many centuries in the Abkhaz people’s destiny”. “Russia contributed invaluably into the recognition of independence of our republic, supported us in struggle for freedom of the people of Abkhazia. Not only close economic, but lasting historical, social and cultural relations bearing traditions of friendship and good contacts of our peoples connect us. Expansion and intensification of these relations is a priority for us facing us in the beginning of our independent path”, the congratulation says.

“On this holiday which has become a symbol of national unity and freedom”, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia wishes the Russian colleagues and all the people of the Russian Federation well-being, peace and consent.

06.12.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Sergey Bagapsh presented president of the International Association of the Abkhaz-Abazin people Taras Shamba with "Akhdz Apsha" order

The President of the Republic of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh presented Doctor of Sciences, the president of the International Association of the Abkhaz-Abazin people Taras Shamba with "Akhdz Apsha" order of the second degree.
 

The Head of the State thanked Taras Shamba for persistent service to the Native land. Sergey Bagapsh mentioned Taras Mironovich’s big contribution to the national-liberation movement of the Abkhaz people, to formation and development of the legal system of the Abkhaz state, the governmental information department informed “Apsnypress”.

06.12.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Abkhaz diplomacy continues a policy of strengthening relations with representatives of Diaspora abroad – SERGEY BAGAPSH

The Abkhaz diplomacy continues a policy of strengthening relations with representatives of Diaspora abroad: in Turkey, the Middle East countries and Europe, the President Sergey Bagapsh declared delivering to the Parliament the annual message on the situation in the country.
 

“The Middle East orientation has been strengthened, in particular, in Jordan. Today a trade mission of Abkhazia which will become a resource centre for investors in Middle East countries has been created in this country. Work in the Syrian direction as well as in Dubai and Abu-Dhabi has been livened up”, the President informed.  
 

According to the Head of the State, use of potential of the Abkhaz-Abasin Diaspora representatives living abroad, intensifying contacts with them “can have a positive impact on the process of further recognition of independence of Abkhazia”, overcoming information isolation and unbiased coverage of the events taking place in the republic, change of the attitude to Abkhazia and improvement of its image abroad.

06.11.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

Abkhazia will continue to participate in the Geneva process, but does not share the international mediators’ intention to delay the discussion

Abkhazia will continue to participate in the Geneva process, but does not share the international mediators’ intention to delay the discussion, the President Sergey Bagapsh declared today, delivering to the Parliament the annual message on the situation in the country.
 

According to Bagapsh, “in the future the Geneva process can get a new form which can replace the earlier existing scheme within the frameworks of the Group of Friends of the Secretary General of the United Nations”. “The destiny of the Geneva discussions will depend much on a new mandate of the United Nations, but already now one can say that there is a certain understanding that the situation has changed and a positive tendency in the world community’s appraisal of the situation around Abkhazia is observed”, Bagapsh said.
 

According to Sergey Bagapsh, the forthcoming session of the UN Security Council concerning the new mandate of the Mission should dot all the “i’s” and cross all the ‘t’s”.
 

The President reminded that the viewpoint of Abkhazia consists in the fact that “the United Nations Mission cannot be considered as Mission in Georgia any longer, and the military observers’ activity should be responsible directly for monitoring and unbiased interpretation of the facts threatening security in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz confrontation”. “If the conditions of the Abkhaz party are met a new mandate of the Mission will be extended,” Bagapsh declared.
 

Bagapsh called the United Nations Mission “a unique international mechanism of prevention of possible conflicts between Georgia and Abkhazia”. As to other international monitoring missions, in particular European Union Mission it does enjoy Abkhazia’s confidence since it does not react to Georgia’s increasing military potential, is not unbiased and impartial.  
 

At the same time, according to him, the Abkhaz party agrees on participation of the European monitoring Mission in pentalateral meetings which should begin after definition of the UN Mission’s new mandate in June 2009.
 

According to the President, “in order to promote security and solution of critical humanitarian problems, such meetings between representatives of Abkhazia and Georgia as well as the United Nations, the Russian Federation and the European Union will allow to develop an effective mechanism in this question”.
 

“However, the leadership of Georgia’s position which consists in strengthening tension and carrying out armed provocations against Abkhazia still threatens our activities aiming at establishment of constructive dialogue, Sergey Bagapsh declared.

06.11.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

 Sergey Bagapsh delivered  annual “Message to Parliament on the  situation in the country, on basic orientations of the state’s internal and foreign policy

The President Sergey Bagapsh delivered to the Parliament on Thursday June 11 the annual “Message on the situation in the country, on basic orientations of the state’s internal and foreign policy”.
 

The Head of the State mentioned that the present address “takes place under the circumstances absolutely different from the previous ones - our independence has gained international recognition”.
 

“Century-old national liberation struggle of the Abkhaz people has been crowned with success! We have come to it step by step, through unbelievable difficulties, losing sons and daughters of Apsny along the severe path, through repressions and restriction of the rights of our compatriots, but we have never lost hope, have not kneeled. The state system, political systems, elites have changed, but there have been one invariable thing– an unbending will of the Abkhaz to freedom”, S. Bagapsh said.
 

According to the President, the recognition of independence of Abkhazia by Russia and Nicaragua has become “a new critical stage not only in the history of the Abkhaz state, but has also considerably affected the course of global processes and the world policy”.
 

Among the priorities of the foreign policy of Abkhazia the President named achievement of a wide international recognition and development of mutually advantageous political and economic contacts. At the same time he also mentioned that “the process of a universal political recognition of our state will not be easy, and in the future we will have to focus even more effort on the search and establishment of mutually advantageous political and economic contacts with the leadership and public organizations of the countries which share fair aspiration of the people of Abkhazia to sovereignty”.
 

In the message the appreciation is given to the development of interdepartmental relations between Russia and Abkhazia which, according to Bagapsh, “are being brought up to a new level”.  
 

“We also co-ordinate jointly (with Russia - Apsnypress) actions on the international scene, in particular, in the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council. The Russian Federation delegation in the United Nations continues to promote actively possible participation of an Abkhazia representative at consulting sessions of the Security council, however the USA continue to block participation of the Abkhaz party in this session”, the President underlined.  
 

S. Bagapsh considers important “to intensify active contacts with the Latin American countries for which the recognition of independence of Abkhazia by Nicaragua could become an impulse for further actions”.

06.11.2009  Official site of the president of the republic of Abkhazia

Moscow, Georgia is continuing to militarize even though it clearly has not ruled out using force in regard to its former republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia's NATO envoy said on Friday.

"We have all the necessary information, including classified, about those who continue to deliver weapons to Georgia and at what volumes," Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio station. "This information is dispiriting."

Although he did not identify the countries involved he said that Russia is making bilateral contact to tell them that Moscow knew of the weapons deliveries.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states after last August's five-day war with Georgia, which attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Most residents of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia have held Russian citizenship for several years.

The chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said on Friday that Georgia is now armed far better than it was when it attacked South Ossetia.

"The events in Georgia have seriously changed the situation in the south of our country and many aspects of world politics. Today, the Georgian Armed Forces have far more military hardware and weapons than they had at the moment of the beginning of their aggression last August," Makarov said.

Under mutual assistance treaties signed last November, Russia pledged to help Abkhazia and South Ossetia protect their borders, and the signatories granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.

At the time, Makarov said the Russian military bases in each republic would be fully staffed with 3,700 personnel by the end of 2009.

06.05.2009  RIA Novosti

St. Petersburg, Rosneft has no plans to review its 2009 business plan, which has fixed the price of oil at $50 per barrel, the head of Russia's largest state-run oil company said on Friday.

"We see no reason to review the $50 price," Sergei Bogdanchikov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

He said that although the price of oil could climb to $60-$70 later this year, it would average $50-$55 in 2009.

Russia's first deputy premier, Igor Sechin, said earlier in the day that oil prices continued to remain volatile and there was a high risk that prices would plunge once again.

Bogdanchikov said his company's oil output forecast for the year would not be reviewed either.

"The financial performance in the first quarter was good, and I think we will work well in the first half of 2009," the businessman said.

Rosneft's plans for the next three months include launching operations at Black Sea fields off the republic of Abkhazia, Bogdanchikov said.

"We are drafting a plan for offshore operations. We believe the next three months will be spent on analyzing and drafting a seismic operations plan, to be followed by the holding of a tender for seismic work," he said.

Bogdanchikov said Rosneft would soon register two companies, one handling offshore operations, and the other selling oil on the Abkhaz market.

The Rosneft head and Abkhaz Economics Minister Kristina Ozgan signed a five-year framework agreement in Abkhazia's capital of Sukhum late in May that will see the company explore and develop the republic's offshore fields.

Speaking about its credit plans for 2009, Bogdanchikov said the crude producer had sufficient finance for the year and would not be seeking any large loans.

"We are not planning any significant borrowings," he said.

Rosneft's crude production grew 9% year-on-year in 2008 to more than 110.1 million metric tons (807 million barrels) of oil. The company expects to produce 112.3 million metric tons (823 million barrels) of oil in 2009.

06.05.2009  RIA Novosti

This weekend [30-31 May 2009] the General Secretary of UNPO will address a conference discussing Abkhazia’s current situation, its future and the prospects for the Caucasus, co organised by the Friends of Abkhazia Civil Initiative and Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi (University).

The Friends of Abkhazia Civil Initiative, alongside Istanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi (University) are holding a conference entitled ‘Independence of Abkhazia and Prospects for the Caucasus’ taking place this weekend [30-31 May 2009] in Istanbul.