Abkhazian leader: attitude to national minorities shows country's level of democracy

In Abkhazia, there is understanding that attitude to national minorities is among basic parameters of a country's development level as a democratic state. This was stated by President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh on February 3 in Sukhumi, in the course of his meeting with Knuth Vollebek, OSCE Supreme Commissioner on National Minorities.

Mr Vollebek asked about the progress at Geneva talks on safety in Transcaucasia and about general developments of the situation in the region.

Mr Bagapsh answered that "Abkhazia had put certain hopes on the Geneva process, but to go on with negotiations, we need mutual concessions."

"We offer to sign the non-use of force agreement, but the issue is not solved. Moreover, we're now offered a new document. We are not discussing it, and we aren't going to consider it," said the President.

He means the "State Strategy on Attitude to Occupied Territories" approved last week by the government of Georgia, which assumes "active peaceful policy of integration" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia "with the rest of the country."

Meanwhile, Mr Shamba has emphasized that the data in Vollebek's report on the outcomes of his visit to Abkhazia in January 2009, is false, in particular, assertions that the Abkhazian authorities force the Gali population into Abkhazian citizenship.

"It has nothing to do with reality. We started issuing Abkhazian passports in all the areas of the republic, except for the Gali District. And only after the end of this process we provided a chance to Gali residents to get Abkhazian passports. I want to emphasize that receipt of an Abkhazian passport is a voluntary decision of a person," said Sergey Shamba.

Knuth Vollebek, as a whole, characterized his meetings the republic's leaders as "productive and useful."