Does Russia want to go too fast and too far in Abkhazia? This pro-Russian separatist region of Georgia has been shaken for several days by demonstrations to prevent the ratification of an agreement that allows Russian companies to invest in this territory, located between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.
On Friday, November 15, hundreds of protesters broke into Parliament and a building. the presidential administration, in Sukhumi, the “capital”. The protesters demanded the resignation of the president of this self-proclaimed state, Aslan Bjania. The police responded by firing tear gas, for the first time. At least thirteen people were injured.
On Saturday, Aslan Bjania said he was willing to resign if protesters agreed to leave. “Those who attempted a coup d’état must liberate the building complex, after which I am ready to hold elections, ready to resign”declared. Opposition leaders rejected the call, saying they would only accept his unconditional resignation and calling for more protests. In a statement published on Saturday, the Opposition Coordination Council believes that“Aslan Bjania resorts to desperate attempts to preserve his government” but that “His reign is over.” The leader is accused of“to enrich one’s own family and a restricted circle of loved ones.”
Several Telegram channels reported that Aslan Bjania had agreed to resign, but later that day he addressed his followers from his home village of Tamysh, about 40 kilometers from Sukhumi, where he was reportedly escorted with the help of a unit Russian military “I ask you not to give in to provocationsdeclared. I am here, in Abkhazia, and we will continue working. »
The agreement, signed at the end of October, would allow Russians to buy apartments in Abkhazia, in the many coastal towns on the Black Sea coast. However, the sale of residential property to foreigners has been prohibited since 1995 in this separatist territory. The agreement, signed by the Russian Minister of Economy, Maxim Rechetnikov, and his Abkhazian counterpart, Kristina Ozgan, can only come into force if it is ratified by Parliament.
A poor region, financially dependent on Moscow
According to Jelger Groeneveld, a foreign policy specialist in the South Caucasus, the tensions reveal Moscow’s desire to have complete control over this small territory, populated by 240,000 inhabitants in about 8,500 square kilometers. “Russia is trying to impose the integration of Abkhazia, but it does not want to be absorbed or assumed by Moscow. writes on the Bluesky social network. Abkhazian society wants to follow the path of independence and considers Moscow only as a necessary partner for [la] guarantee against Georgia. She does not want to become a colony of Russia. »
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