Most citizens of the former Georgian region believe that the Abkhaz republic should preserve its independence, Abkhaz President Alexander Ankvab said on Friday, RIA Novostin reports.
“An overwhelming majority of citizens of our country think that Abkhazia should remain a sovereign democratic state,” Ankvab told the Kommersant FM radio, citing opinion polls conducted this year and last year.
“We have the Constitution, it outlines the legal status of this country and there may be various opinions, we have never ruled them out,” he said adding that only few people want Abkhazia to join Russia.
A mass protest in Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhum, has been continuing for several days. The situation in Sukhum escalated on Tuesday as the Abkhaz opposition staged a mass rally near the government offices, demanding the resignation of President Ankvab and the government. Later in the day, crowds of protesters seized administrative buildings in the city. Ankvab called the events "an armed coup attempt."
