Russia has suspended payments to state employees of Abkhazia since September 1

Russia has suspended payments for teachers, doctors and law enforcement agencies since September 1, Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said at a briefing on September 3. In addition, according to him, electricity to Abkhazia during the shortage will be supplied at commercial cost.

"Since September 1, financing for some payments has been suspended. They concern doctors, teachers, law enforcement agencies and other things. In addition, there is a question that from now on the flow of electricity, which we face every time in winter, will be paid at commercial prices," Shamba said.

The corresponding document was received on September 2 by the Prime Minister of Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab.

Shamba also commented on the minutes of the meeting of the Deputy head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Dmitry Kozak and the President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania, which appeared last week on social networks. It refers to the fact that Bzhania allegedly undertook to provide information on deputies of the Parliament of Abkhazia and leaders of the Abkhaz opposition with Russian citizenship by September 20, "acting to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation and the development of Russian-Abkhaz relations, for further consideration of the issue of depriving them of Russian citizenship."

"I, the President and the Secretary of the Security Council received a paper from opposition parties and public organizations that raised the question of the authenticity of this document. In this regard, yesterday, on September 2, we had a meeting at the Foreign Ministry, an exhaustive conversation took place," the Foreign Minister said.

Shamba stated that the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry had not officially received this protocol, so it "cannot be determined as genuine."

"The meeting took place on August 19 at the Presidential Administration of Russia, the protocol itself was drawn up on August 26. Our president was no longer present at the signing of this document and also cannot confirm it. The only thing he said was that he had not assumed such obligations and his comment was published on the official website," Shamba said.

At the same time, he noted that depriving someone of Russian citizenship is the prerogative of the Russian side.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia believes that recently there has been a lot of discontent among the Russian side towards the Abkhaz side and it is necessary to "try somehow to correct the situation."

According to TASS, in the first paragraph of the minutes of the meeting distributed on social networks, u Kozak says about the need to suspend the transfer of Russian financial assistance to the Republic of Abkhazia from September 1 until the Abkhaz side fulfills the following obligations: to ratify the agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia on the recognition and enforcement of court and arbitration decisions in economic cases; to ensure the entry into force of the agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia on the implementation by the Russian legal entities of investment projects in the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia; remove restrictions from Russian investors in the commercial real estate market of the Republic of Abkhazia (apartments).