The President of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, met with the First Deputy of the Council of the Russian Federation, Rashid Nurgaliyev, in Moscow on February 19. Issues of cooperation in the field of trade were discussed. 

The de facto presidential administration of Abkhazia denied reports that the issue of Abkhazia's accession to Russia would be discussed during Bzhania's visit to Moscow. 

Various Abkhazian public organizations have recently protested against the de facto republic's information about the possible accession to Russia. The head of the Security Council of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, Sergey Shamba, said that these allegations have nothing to do with reality and that such issues are not discussed in this manner. 

Reports emerged last week that Russian President Putin may announce in his February 21 address to the Federal Assembly some integration initiatives, including those with the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as reunification with Belarus; however, the Kremlin has not made an official comment on it.