Separatist Abkhazia Puts Forward Two Conditions for Transfering Bichvinta to Russia

| News, Georgia, Abkhazia

On November 14, Leonid Lakerbaia, the former de-facto Abkhaz Prime Minister, stated that they presented two conditions to Russian parliamentarians for transferring 186 hectares of the Bichvinta resort town to Russia after their trip to Moscow on November 10 with other members of the occupied Abkhazia legislature.

"First, these are the improperly provided coordinates, which extended the region to be transported. The second is to add a provision prohibiting the transfer of the land to third parties," Lakerbaia claimed added. "The Russian side acknowledged a mistake in one case and the soundness of our issue in another," the former de-facto Abkhaz Prime Minister said.

Additionally, he disclosed that Russian State Duma representatives had planned a trip to [occupied] Abkhazia to discuss the transfer agreement further.

In July, Caucasus Watch reported that according to the Bichvinta resort draught agreement, 115 hectares of sea space and 186 hectares of land were handed over to the Russian Federation. "All buildings and structures will become the property of the Russian Federal Protective Service, and Russia will get a 49-year lease on the Black Sea region and neighboring areas," the report said. The covert signing of the paper between Moscow and Sokhumi angered the population. The de-facto Abkhazian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not informed the local deputies about the signed agreement; nonetheless, according to the process, the foreign political agency is obligated to notify the parliament about intergovernmental agreements. Even opposition-minded and less-politicized Abkhazian citizens are opposed to the deal.

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