On September 27, the meeting between Inal Ardzinba, the de-facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of separatist Abkhazia, and Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, took place in Moscow.
The Foreign Ministers signed an agreement on settling issues of dual citizenship, the de-facto Embassy of separatist Abkhazia in Russia reported. The document provides for the introduction of a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for citizens of Abkhazia.
During the meeting, Sergey Lavrov declared unconditional support for strengthening the state sovereignty of Abkhazia.
Earlier, in March, Caucasus Watch reported that Vladimir Putin proposed to the Russian State Duma an agreement with Tskhinvali aimed at making it easier for South Ossetians to seek Russian citizenship. The agreement was signed in 2021, and Georgia regards it as Russia's "continuation of policies of illegitimate occupation and de-facto annexation." South Ossetians can get Russian citizenship without giving up their passports under the terms of the deal. Russian people will be able to apply for South Ossetian documents in the same way.
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