17:14, 27 May 2004

Abkhazia rejects any subordination to Georgia

Abkhazia will not accept any forms of subordination to Georgia, Igor Akhba, Abkhazia's envoy in Russia, told a press conference on May 27. There can be no talks about the change of Abkhazia's status, he emphasized and added that the referendum conducted in 1999 showed that the majority of the Abkhazian population was for its independence. Many generations of Abkhazian residents experienced pressure on the part of the Georgian ruling circles, he said.

Commenting on the statement by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on the Georgian-Abkhazian problem, Igor Akhba said the Abkhazian leadership doubted about Georgia's intentions to resolve the conflict in a peaceful way. Relations between Georgia and Abkhazia must be built up on principles of equal rights.

Source: RosBusinessConsulting News Agency