Abkhazia demands not to be called occupied territory

The Russian forces are present in Abkhazia based on intergovernmental agreements, therefore Abkhaz Foreign Minister Maksim Gvinjiya believes that calling his country occupied is unjust, Interfax reports.

He also said that talks with Georgia can only be fruitful after Tbilisi signs agreements on non-use of force .
Concerning the proposals of the Georgian state minister for reintegration, Timur Yakobashvili, on distributing identification documents with neutral status to the citizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia instead of Russian passports, Gvindjiya said that Abkhaz laws allow for dual citizenship. This is why most Abkhazians have Russian passports.

Georgia does not have the right to offer its passports to Abkhaz citizens. Otherwise they could offer their passports to any other countries, the minister said. The process of issuing new passports with extra protection to Abkhaz citizens will start in July.