Day: June 14, 2024

The G7 has agreed to use frozen Russian assets to raise $50bn for Ukraine, the BBC reports.

US President Joe Biden said it was another reminder to Russia “that we’re not backing down”, but Moscow has threatened “extremely painful” retaliatory measures.

The money is not expected to arrive until the end of the year but is seen as a longer-term solution to support Ukraine’s war effort and economy.

Also at the G7 summit in Italy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Biden signed a 10-year bilateral security deal between Ukraine and the US, hailed by Kyiv as “historic”.

The agreement envisages US military and training aid to Ukraine – but it does not commit Washington to send troops to fight for its ally.

Some $325bn worth of assets were frozen by the G7, alongside the EU, after Russia launched the offensive in 2022.

The pot of assets is generating about $3bn a year in interest.

Under the G7 plan, that $3bn will be used to pay off the annual interest on the $50bn loan for the Ukrainians, taken out on the international markets.

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma will travel to Yerevan, Armenia from June 17-19 to participate in the U.S.-Armenia Local Government Forum on Democracy and to meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. This visit reflects our intention to further strengthen bilateral ties with the Armenian people.

Deputy Secretary Verma will lead a delegation of state and local officials representing California, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, and Pennsylvania. He will be accompanied by Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy Nina Hachigian, who leads the new subnational diplomacy team at the State Department, and Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Sarah Morgenthau.

The delegation will engage across the public and private sector and with civil society organizations.

The Russo-Caucasian war and Mahajirs in Abkhazia

Between 1817 and 1864, around 1.5 million Circassians, Abkhazians, and Adyghes were forcibly deported from the Caucasus to the Ottoman Empire. Most settled there, but many dispersed worldwide. Over 500,000 people perished from hunger and disease during the relocation.

This period marked the Russian Empire’s conquest of the Caucasus, known as the Russo-Caucasian War.

It is estimated that 80% of all ethnic Abkhazians live outside their historical homeland. In Abkhazia, these individuals are referred to as Mahajirs.

The exact number of Mahajirs remains uncertain, varying from 500,000 to one million. The largest Abkhaz diasporas are found in Turkey, Syria, and Jordan.

The victims of the Russo-Caucasian War are commemorated annually on May 21st. On this day in 1864, a military parade was held at Kbaada, now known as Krasnaya Polyana in Russia, marking the end of the fifty-year war.

During the times of the Russian Empire and later Soviet Russia, returning to their homeland was prohibited for Mahajirs. However, in the last 25 years, Abkhazia has officially declared repatriation as a cherished dream of the people and a national ideal.

• Repatriation in Abkhazia: myths, expectations and reality
• “We and Georgians are fighting for the past, not for the future” | Abkhaz historian Astamur Tania

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