The issues related to the energy supply of Georgia’s breakaway, Abkhazia; the pricing of petroleum products; the restoration of the Sokhumi airport; the timely delivery of necessary goods to Abkhazia by rail; and the development of digital television were discussed at meetings in Moscow during a working trip of the Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Economy of Abkhazia, Christina Ozgan.
One of the meetings took place with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexander Novak. Issues connected to the energy supply of Abkhazia, as well as those agreements that were achieved earlier in the framework of de-facto President Aslan Bzhania’s discussions with Novak, were discussed. As part of this discussion, orders were issued to the relevant department to conduct more negotiations in order to devise a mechanism for addressing this issue.
The following meeting was with the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Maxim Reshetnikov. The implementation of the governmental programme for the socio-economic development of Abkhazia for 2022–2025 was considered. A draught intergovernmental agreement is currently being drafted as part of the program's implementation to provide for the procedure, conditions, responsibility, control, and funding amounts in the relevant periods.
The topic of resuming aviation connectivity with Russia and the renovation of the Sokhumi airport was also considered. According to Ozgan, work is underway to develop the legislative framework through the adoption of relevant legal acts in Abkhazia that will regulate the process. As she mentioned, the meeting with the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, was productive. "We discussed a wide range of issues, including the prospects for the development of the Abkhaz railway. Taking into account the fact that the so-called hot season has now come and there are certain difficulties with freight and passenger transportation by rail in a southerly direction, we are having difficulties in this regard. They are seasonal, but nevertheless, we encounter them every summer. Our request was that the management of Russian Railways would support us in the timely delivery of vital goods for the republic, which would include oil products, food, and other goods that allow us to ensure the normal operation of organisations and enterprises in Abkhazia," Ozgan said.
Moreover, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media. "The Abkhaz side has already appealed to the leadership of the Russian Federation on the development of digital television. There are prerequisites for this project's implementation. We determined the mechanisms and details of how this event could be implemented. It is clear that there are no sources in the republic, and we will certainly be provided with assistance in this direction. And how it will be provided, in what order, and how the work will be carried out, that’s exactly what we discussed," the de-facto Deputy Prime Minister flagged.
