Abkhaz Foreign Ministry: “If Georgia apologizes, it could be the first step toward reconciliation”

Will Georgia apologize to the Abkhaz?

“An apology from Georgia would help resolve the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict,” said Abkhazia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Shamba, before the next round of the Geneva discussions.

During a meeting in Sukhum with the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions, Shamba mentioned a recent statement by Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling party “Georgian Dream,” about Georgia’s authorities planning to apologize to the Ossetians for the 2008 war.

Shamba believes that if Tbilisi were to do the same for the Abkhaz by apologizing for the outbreak of the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-93, it could serve as the first step toward reconciliation.

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The minister believes that another step toward resolving the conflict could be Georgia’s abandonment of terms like “occupied territories.”

Regarding the widely circulated notion of a peaceful option for Abkhazia’s return to Georgia, Shamba stated, “The political status of Abkhazia is not open to discussion.”

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During the same meeting, Sergey Shamba emphasized that “the Geneva discussions are currently the only platform where existing issues can be addressed at such a level.“

According to Shamba, one of the most important agenda items for the Abkhaz side is the prevention of renewed military actions and the signing of a peace agreement.

He did not mention the need to move the discussions from Geneva to a “more neutral place,” as his predecessor, former Interior Minister Inal Ardzinba, had often stated.

Ardzinba referred to Minsk as the “more neutral place.”

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