Day: May 6, 2024

Abkhaz veteran supports Georgian protesters

In Abkhazia, Lasha Zukhba, a veteran of the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-93, who was awarded the highest military honor of the republic, expressed support for the protest actions against the “foreign agents bill” in the capital of Georgia on his Facebook page. Due to this, the pro-government veteran party of Abkhazia, “Amtsakhara,” condemned him, while the opposition, on the contrary, criticized “Amtsakhara” for its “selective approach.”

“I express solidarity with the protesters in Tbilisi, the Georgian opposition, and the entire civil society of Georgia in their protest against the adoption of the foreign influence law. We remember your support for our protest against the Pitsunda agreement, and the protest against the foreign agents bill still awaits us ahead.

I hope your efforts will not be in vain and the bill will not be passed. I am confident that people, especially the Georgian people, are unbeatable in their determination. I wish you strength of spirit and success in achieving your goal,” wrote Lasha Zukhba on Facebook.

This post sparked intense debate in the Abkhaz segment of social media. Mostly, Lasha Zukhba was criticized for his support of the Georgian protest, but there were also those who defended him, emphasizing the veteran’s military merits.

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The pro-government veteran party of veterans “Amtsakhara” called on its colleagues and opposition political forces to give a moral assessment of Lasha Zukhba’s words, almost accusing him of preparing similar protests in Abkhazia:

“How can a citizen of Abkhazia and a veteran of the Patriotic War in Abkhazia express solidarity with the supporters of Mikhail Saakashvili, who unleashed the war in 2008, supporters of the ideology of extreme nationalism, rejecting the very idea of Abkhaz statehood, independence, and sovereignty, supporters of an ideology hostile to the Abkhaz people?

Secondly, citizen Zukhba, on his own behalf and on behalf of his supporters, thanks Georgian nationalists for supporting protests against the Pitsunda agreement. Opposition forces in Abkhazia criticized the Pitsunda agreement, but what was the nature of this support?

Thirdly, citizen Zukhba announces future protests against the adoption of the foreign agents bill by the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia. Does this mean that protests in Tbilisi and future protests in Abkhazia are coordinated from the same center? And finally, a question to citizen Zukhba personally: who are your like-minded people?”

In turn, another opposition veteran organization, “Aruaa,” stated that it does not support Lasha Zukhba’s statement, but nevertheless, it is surprised by the accusations from “Amtsakhara,” considering them a display of double standards.

“Aruaa” provides its list of Georgia-related issues to which “Amtsakhara” did not react:

• The covert trip to Georgian territory by Abkhazia’s Minister of Economy, Christina Ozgan.
• Lifting the ban on trade relations with Georgia.
• The visit of Georgian parliament deputies to Abkhazia, and so on.

“We hold the veteran of the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia of 1992-1993, Lasha Zukhba, in high esteem for his combat merits and remind ‘Amtsakhara’ that he was an active supporter of the current government, supporting president Aslan Bzhania during the 2020 presidential elections.

In conclusion, we demand that ‘Amtsakhara’ provide a moral assessment, first and foremost, of the aforementioned actions of the ruling authorities,” stated “Aruaa.”

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In a month when the First Independent Republic of Armenia was established in 1918 through the fierce patriotism, determination and sacrifice of our forefathers and foremothers, the Nikol Pashinyan regime has chosen a foreign and traitorous political path that will result in the subjugation of our homeland to our enemies and the inevitable destruction of our sacred Hairenik if that regime is allowed to remain in power.

With Pashinyan’s planned handover of four Tavush villages to Azerbaijan effective May 15, without regard to the danger that this unprecedented act will bring to the people of Tavush and the entire homeland, the Armenian nation’s millions of citizens are resisting the Pashinyan regime’s dangerous and nihilistic policies, uniting in a resounding vote of zero confidence.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation holds that our national liberation struggle seeks “individual freedom, national self-determination, independent statehood, social harmony and economic well-being to secure unobstructed, multifaceted and sustainable development of both the individual Armenian and Armenian nation.” Indeed, for the ARF, the nation is “a fundamental value,” and its work is motivated by that “fundamental value” for the protection and prosperity of the homeland.

The people of Armenia have the power to remove Pashinyan and his followers from office before even more damage is inflicted on Armenia’s dignity, security and viability. Today’s resistance to the current regime’s stranglehold on the government aims to inspire a popular movement to save the nation from further destruction, carrying with it the patriotic spirit of the 1918 Armenian independence movement.

We stand with our brothers and sisters in preventing Pashinyan’s planned May 15 handover of our lands to the genocidal Aliyev regime and support efforts to replace the Pashinyan regime with the patriotic, honorable and resilient leaders our homeland needs and deserves.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee

Eastern United States

May 6, 2024

Author information

ARF Eastern US Central Committee

The ARF Eastern Region Central Committee’s headquarters is the Hairenik Building in Watertown, Mass. The ARF Eastern Region’s media and bookstore are also housed in this building, as are various other important Armenian community organizations. The ARF Eastern Region holds a convention annually and calls various consultative meetings and conferences throughout the year.

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