Does Russia want to go too fast, too far in Abkhazia? This pro-Russian separatist region of Georgia has been shaken for several days by demonstrations to prevent the ratification of an agreement allowing Russian companies to invest in this territory located between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains.
Friday, November 15, hundreds of protesters stormed Parliament and a building the presidential administration, in Sukhumi, the capital. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the president of this self-proclaimed state, Aslan Bjania. The police responded by firing tear gas, a first. At least 13 people were injured.
On Sunday, November 17, a leading politician, Temur Gulia, claimed that the opposition would form a rival government if Aslan Bjania, president since April 2020, refused to leave power. He said he was ready to step down temporarily and organize early elections, while describing the demonstrations as “coup attempt”. The day before, he had said he agreed to resign on the condition that the demonstrators leave the scene. Opposition leaders rejected the call, saying they would only accept his unconditional resignation, and called for further protests.
In a statement published on Saturday, the opposition coordinating council believes that“Aslan Bjania resorts to desperate attempts to preserve his government”more than “his reign is over”. The leader is accused of“enrich your family and a restricted circle of loved ones”.
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Several Telegram channels reported that Aslan Bjania had agreed to resign, but later in the day he addressed his supporters from his native village of Tamishi, about 40 kilometers from Sukhumi, where he was reportedly escorted with the help of a Russian military unit. “I ask you not to give in to provocationshe said. I am here, in Abkhazia, and we will continue to work. »
The deal, signed in late October, would allow Russians to buy apartments in Abkhazia, in the many resort towns on the Black Sea coast. However, the sale of residential real estate to foreigners has been prohibited since 1995 in this separatist territory. The agreement, signed by the Russian Minister of Economy, Maxim Reshetnikov, and his Abkhazian counterpart, Kristina Ozgan, can only come into force if it is ratified by Parliament.
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