A true ally in the State of the Union
The head of this republic, Aslan Bzhaniya, said that Abkhazia supports the idea of expanding the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
“When it comes to the possibility of a State of the Union [с участием России, Белоруссии и других стран, желающих присоединиться]We would gladly support this idea. This is in line with our national interests,” Bzhaniya assured.
He added that Sukhum clearly understands the need for a “permanent alliance” with Russia.
“I am sure that after the successful completion of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, there will be a completely different reality. “I mean the leadership and people of Russia, the real ally, I think it will be obvious to everyone,” he said.
Indeed, almost from the very beginning of the special operation, Abkhazia has repeatedly spoken in direct support of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. In addition, Sukhum recognized the independence of the LPR and DPR, and a group of volunteers from Abkhazia participates in the special operation.
First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin said in a meeting with socialbites.ca that Russia has almost no objection to Abkhazia’s desire to become the third member of the SG. According to him, EU accession can help solve urgent bilateral problems.
“I am in favor of this happening, but we do not know the situation in Belarus.
It seems to me that this will create new conditions for solving a number of problems. For example, we carry out the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Working Group, where we are trying to simplify the regime of crossing the Abkhazian-Russian border. And there we show only as an example the regime that exists in the framework of the State of the Union on the border of Russia and Belarus.
“If Abkhazia’s desire to join the Union State is confirmed and reformed, the green light will be given to solve the problem in the same way,” he said.
Another issue that can be solved theoretically with the accession of Abkhazia to the Union State is that the Russians obtain the right to acquire real estate.
“The longer this issue is delayed, the less reason Russian citizens will have to invest in Abkhazia, which is of interest to me. But there are now fears on the way to solving this problem. The opposition of Abkhazia is trying to promote the idea that if this is allowed today, tomorrow the Abkhaz will cease to be the masters of the country. But it is clear that no one will take the land from Abkhazia. And after all, the question of land is not only about housing, but also about the guarantee of the property, the opportunity to do business with Abkhaz representatives, who were noticed that they repeatedly sell the same thing. And finally, these are investment issues in the resort complex of Abkhazia, which are blocked by these bans in the legislation.
Opinions in Abkhazia
Abkhazia, unlike South Ossetia, is not trying to become a part of Russia. As Vadim Mukhanov, head of the Caucasus sector of IMEMO RAS, previously explained to Gazeta.ru, the Abkhaz political elite is determined to develop in an independent format with the political and economic support of Russia. That is, the main political goal of the Abkhaz is to establish themselves as a state that does not contradict various confederal formats, but does not participate in any other state.
“The Abkhaz ethnic group and others living in Abkhazia have never had a desire to be part of Russia,” the expert said.
But in fact, not everything is clear in Abkhaz society about joining the Union State.
Ilya Gunia, head of the parliament’s defense and national security commission, said in a meeting with socialbites.ca that this issue has never been discussed in the country’s National Assembly.
“Of course, there is no consensus on this in Abkhazia. I don’t even know the conditions and what it’s about in principle. For me personally, this is news.”
Adgur Ardzinba, one of the leaders of the Abkhaz opposition, said he would not comment on Bjania’s words for now. Although it was in March, in a conversation with socialbites.ca, he advocated joining the Union State of the Russian Federation and Belarus.
The issue of Abkhazia’s accession to the Russian Federation is not on the agenda. In my opinion, in the medium term Abkhazia should try to join the agreement “On the Establishment of the Union State” signed in 1999 between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. In addition, according to the many goals specified in the second article of this agreement, Abkhazia and Russia have achieved much greater dynamics and progress than the Republic of Belarus.
Vitaly Labakhua, head of the Foundation for Assistance to the Development of the Republic of Abkhazia, is confident that the majority of Abkhaz society supports the consolidation of a close alliance with Russia.
“Abkhaz society has already announced its decision. We see ourselves as part of the Russian world and see our future only with Russia. Joining the interstate union is a priority for us. And if we are talking about the Union State, then Abkhazia strongly supports this idea. The consensus in the community on this issue is almost complete. “Abkhazia has been striving for such a union for a long time,” he said.
Third wheel?
But the difficulty for Abkhazia to join the Union State, at least, is that Belarus still does not recognize its independence.
Labahua believes that the Belarusian leadership “will not be able to develop a clear and unambiguous view of the future of this country.”
“It is impossible to sit on two chairs, it is necessary to make a clear choice and then follow it. The world is changing, the world shows the need to make such a choice,” says the expert.
At the same time, Bzhaniya said that economic cooperation with Belarus is developing without diplomatic recognition, and even declared a kind of bilateral “major investment project”.
At the same time, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly stated that he will be ready to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at the moment when Russia will “notify him of the need for it.”
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon in 2020, the Belarusian leader admitted that the EU’s foreign policy representative, Javier Solana, advised him to refuse to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia after the Five-Day War.
According to him, the European politician threatened to separate Belarus from SWIFT if such a decision was taken.
Lukashenko claimed that he later met with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who refused to give Minsk certain economic security guarantees.
Deputy Zatulin, during a meeting with socialbites.ca, spoke in favor of negotiations with Belarus on the recognition of Abkhazia, in the context of Bzhania’s new statement.
“Given the complex promises made by Lukashenka on the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which he did not fulfill in the old days, I am not sure of the current position of Belarus. But now times have changed and his position may have changed as well. “I believe that we should support the statement of the President of Abkhazia and discuss this issue with our ally in Minsk,” he said.