After his visit to Moscow, the de facto president of Russian-occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, arrived in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where he held a meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko. According to the BELTA agency, Bzhania and Lukashenko discussed issues of cooperation development.
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Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus has always been interested in cooperation with Abkhazia, which was discussed during his visit to Sukhumi back in September 2022.
“Only one thought keeps haunting me: why is Georgian leadership reacting sharply to our meetings? Can't there be normal, warm, friendly relations between people? Maybe these relations, as I said then, serve peace and friendship between Abkhazian and Georgian peoples. You and I have never planned any actions against Tbilisi, right? Such a thing has never occurred,” said Lukashenko during the meeting with Bzhania.
As Lukashenko noted, he is monitoring event developments in Georgia, including around the former president, Mikheil Saakashvili.
“Somehow it doesn’t look good because he once was a President after all. Therefore, it’s simply inappropriate to go that far. But why am I saying this: we didn’t give any assessments, and we did not interfere in this situation and other developments. We have maintained very good relations, as much as it is possible, with Tbilisi. Why do they overreact? I think you will help me find an answer to this question”.
Regarding the cooperation with Abkhazia, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that the meeting held on February 21 from a human perspective was very important:
“Our relations should develop. Abkhazian people respect Belarusians, not to mention Belarusians. We have something on which we can build the foundation for our relationship. There are goods in which we are interested. There is a product you are interested in.
Moreover, the tourism direction is very important. Especially after they started imposing various sanctions against us. Our people want to go to the sea, and here I have seen your shores. We always went there, to Sukhumi and Batumi, Tbilisi, and so on. Our people still come to these cities, but somehow it turned out that Abkhazia was cut off. Not unsolicited, but cut off. The demand is very high.
Why shouldn't we visit each other? I am asking this question and I cannot understand why it is necessary to escalate relations on this basis. On the contrary, we should strengthen our relations. We are not giant states to be able to divide some countries and peoples. In such difficult times, we should be close to each other - Tbilisi, Sukhumi, and Minsk. We should all somehow be together, and strive toward each other. In this regard, I will consider your visit to Belarus and thank you once again for fulfilling your promise and coming to us.”
Aslan Bzhania thanked Alexander Lukashenko for his invitation and consistency in Minsk: “Many will listen to you, including in Georgia, and I think your wise words will reach the hearts of these people.”
While commenting with journalists, Bzhania noted that Abkhazia, largely due to the sanctions of the Western states, was isolated for a long time, and thanks to Russia, the processes of de-isolation are underway. According to Bzhania, contacts with Belarus are very important in this regard.
“The emphasis is on economic cooperation. We agreed on a number of issues. A trading house was created, within the framework of which it will be possible to deliver Abkhazian products to the Belarus territory and vice versa. Abkhazia is a touristic country. I signed the order extending the visa-free stay of Belarusian citizens in Abkhazia. We also agreed that young people from Abkhazia should come to the high-tech park to improve their qualifications. Abkhazia will purchase not only agricultural but also industrial products, in particular, the products of the flagship of the Belarusian industry – “Horizon” [tractor factory] goods,” noted Bzhania, who said that he last visited Belarus 40 years ago, when he was a student.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemned the meeting held in Minsk and stated that this action grossly violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within the internationally recognized borders and is an attempt to legitimize the Russian occupation regime.
“I strongly condemn Aleksandr Lukashenko’s “official meeting” in Minsk with the so-called “President” of occupied Abkhazia. Following Lukashenko's visit to Sokhumi, which disregarded the Georgian Law on Occupied Territories, this constitutes another blatant violation of 🇬🇪’s sovereignty & territorial integrity,” wrote the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, on Twitter.
Lukashenko was in Russian-occupied Abkhazia on September 28, 2022, after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi. At the end of August, Aslan Bzhania announced that de facto Abkhazia is ready to become a member of the Russia-Belarus alliance state.
Lukashenko has said that he is ready to recognize the independence of the occupied territories if Putin tells him that it is necessary.
