Addressing alleged "non-transparent activities and perceived misinformation," Inal Ardzinba, occupied Abkhazia's de facto chief diplomat, on December 7 declared a revised policy for interacting with international NGOs and UN agencies. Ardzinba's decision, as stated, was primarily influenced by inconsistencies observed in project questionnaires, particularly those related to the UN Development Programme's Partnership for Sustainability, funded by USAID.

Ardzinba claimed in his announcement that ambiguous objectives set by these project managers were misleading Abkhazia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aiming to foster an environment favorable to Georgian policy in the region. He reinforced this claim by referencing the official USAID strategy, which classifies Abkhazia as "occupied territory of Georgia" with intentions to restore territorial integrity and counter Russian influence.

Further, Ardzinba pointed out that USAID and UN agency representatives, especially at the regional level, were involved in gathering and analyzing data about Abkhazia's economic and political trends, underlining that USAID's 2021 visit to Abkhazia was, in essence, a mission on behalf of the US government to the Georgian region of Abkhazia, as stated on USAID’s website.

Expressing concerns about John A. Pennell, the new head of USAID in Georgia, Ardzinba highlighted Pennell's previous role in Ukraine and Belarus, where he allegedly established NGOs that intruded into internal affairs and destabilized the socio-political landscape, discrediting authorities and attempting to alter leadership.

He also critiqued the continuation of USAID funding to Ukraine's Armed Forces, viewing it as antagonistic towards Russia and the Abkhaz participants in a "special military operation." Citing the cessation of USAID activities in Russia since 2012 and Belarus since 2019, Ardzinba echoed Russian and Belarusian opinions that Western NGOs are intent on altering values, discrediting cultures, falsifying history, and disrupting inter-people relations.

Consequently, Ardzinba has decreed that John Pennell, USAID Regional Director, be declared persona non-grata in Abkhazia; no certification for new projects receiving full or partial funding from USAID; prohibition on projects that facilitate contact between Abkhazia's residents and Georgian citizens; disapproval of projects with ambiguous or misleading information from the de-facto ministry; banning the funding of media projects addressing domestic and foreign policy issues in Abkhazia; INGOs and UN agencies must align fund allocation for initiatives of Abkhaz NGOs and related project activities with the de-facto ministry.

Arda Inal-Ipa, a local humanitarian organization director in occupied Abkhazia, expressed no surprise at these developments, attributing them to Ardzinba's long-term strategy to disengage from international organizations and isolate Abkhazia. She argues that these actions negate the efforts of previous ministers to establish complex international relations and questions Ardzinba's awareness of the repercussions of his decisions, speculating on his personal ambitions linked to Moscow.