Bagapsh rejects criticism of retired Vice-President of Abkhazia

Sergey Bagapsh, President of Abkhazia, has stated that Vice-President Raul Hadjimba just could not match his team, and his resignation is in no case an evidence of any deep crisis of the Republic's power.

"I don't exclude that his (Mr Hadjimba's, - note of the "Caucasian Knot") retirement has to do with the election of President of Abkhazia, forthcoming this December. The Vice-President has taken advantage of his right to retire. Abkhazian leaders tried to dissuade him at the recent session of the Security Council, but, most likely, his decision had been prepared in advance," Christian Bzhaniya, Bagapsh's official representative for mass media, quotes his boss as saying.

He has emphasized that "President does not share Raul Hadjimba's estimates of the situation in the republic and actions of the authorities."

At today's briefing for journalists, Mr Hadjimba has stated that Abkhazia experiences a deep crisis of state power, which is a result of the style and methods of ruling chosen by the President and his retinue, who would not consider "the opinion of the whole society."

"The recent actions of the leadership in reply to the statement of the oppositional forces were the reason of my decision," said Mr Hadjimba at the briefing. "If oppositionists have raised some complex unsolved problem that the state faces, it's their vision and right. But search of internal enemies - the rough and irresponsible propaganda unleashed by the Abkhazian television, promotes a split in the society."

According to Raul Hadjimba, among the problems raised by the opposition, are corruption, spread of drugs, absence of reforms in the system of power, authoritative methods of ruling and many other things, preventing the society to implement its potentials.