Abkhazia will not receive 1.8 billion rubles of Russian financial assistance due to the complete suspension of co-financing since November, Acting Finance Minister Vladimir Delba said on December 5.
"There are no funds received to finance other budget expenditures — defense capability, law enforcement activities, respectively, the purchase of medicines. And, of course, financial support for budget investments, such as the investment program and support for business entities, has been completely suspended. Thus, until the end of the year, we will not receive 1 billion 800 million rubles from Russian financial assistance," Sputnik Abkhazia quotes the Finance minister.
These funds, Delba noted, the government will need to replace.
Without the financial support that Abkhazia received from Russia, it is extremely difficult to keep the situation further, said Acting President Badra Gunba. According to him, since November, the Russian side has actually suspended co-financing payments in all areas, except for pension provision. Now there is a threat that state employees will not receive wages.
"It was the work of the tax inspectorate, the Ministry of Finance, Customs, which fulfilled all plans, even exceeded them, that allowed us to keep the situation to this day. But these reserves, they are certainly limited. Without financial support, the one that came from To the Russian Federation, it is extremely difficult for us to keep the situation further. And therefore our citizens should know, understand, this is a necessary measure," the acting president said.
He instructed the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and the heads of districts to provide all necessary measures to provide backup power supply to life-support facilities in case of an emergency in the energy sector.
EADaily reported that since September 1, Russia has partially suspended funding for the socio-economic assistance program to the republic due to Sukhum's failure to fulfill its obligations to Moscow. The reduction affected the salaries of teachers and doctors. In addition, Abkhazia has to pay for the flow of electricity from Russia at commercial rates.
On December 3, the Parliament of Abkhazia voted against the ratification of the intergovernmental agreement on investments of Russian legal entities in the territory of the republic.