Sukhum: Pence’s visit to Georgia threatening, Putin’s to Abkhazia peaceful

The Abkhazian foreign ministry has described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the republic as a successful one.

“Despite numerous populist statements of Georgian politicians and their western patrons like the USA, EU, NATO and other institutions that predictably condemned Vladimir Putin’s visit to Abkhazia, we would like to inform all interested parties that the visit was successfully held at the top interstate level, and the Abkhazian-Russian strategic cooperation will continue developing,” says a statement of the ministry after the visit.

Sukhum draws attention to “the very nervous response of Georgian top leadership” to the visit.

“Despite the visit of US Vice President Mike Pence to Georgia that was taking place on the background of joint NATO drill in Georgia that pose a real threat to security and stability in South Caucasus, Russian president’s visit to Abkhazia was of exclusively peaceful and constructive nature establishing additional guarantees for safe and progressive development of the Republic of Abkhazia,” they state at the ministry.

Sukhum once again stressed that the Republic of Abkhazia is an independent and sovereign state that is establishing relations with its partners on its own, despite any attempts by Georgia and its western partners to deny the political reality in South Caucasus.

On August 8, nine years after the August aggression of Georgia against South Ossetia, Vladimir Putin had talks with Abkhazian President Raul Khadzhimba in Pitsunda. They discussed a wide range of issues including easing exports of goods from Abkhazia to Russia.