On December 28, the de facto parliament of occupied Abkhazia will discuss the issue of handing over the Bichvinta resort to Russia for 49 years. A large-scale protest rally is being planned in Sokhumi concurrently with the session.
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According to public organizations and opposition parties, a week ago, the de facto president of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, held a closed meeting with the so-called members of the parliament and tried to argue the necessity of immediate ratification of the agreement signed with Russia on the transfer of Bichvinta.
In order to maintain political stability, Bzhania is called upon to make the one and only correct decision and to refuse the illegal, anti-national initiative.
“We are all united around the issue of Bichvinta. We believe that diplomatic solutions are not working. We should gather during the session so that everyone sees the people who are against this agreement,” said the leader of Aruaa Temur Gulia.
If the demand of the protestors is not met and the draft law on the ratification of the agreement is not withdrawn from the parliament, they will demand the resignation of Aslan Bzhania.
The so-called opposition also calls on the de facto president to recall the draft law on apart-hotels, which will give Russian citizens the right to purchase residential property in Abkhazia.
The agreement on the transfer of Bichvinta State Resort to the Russian Federation was signed in January 2022, although it has not yet been ratified by the de facto parliament. Within 6 months after the entry of the document into force, the resort (184 hectares area) - plots of land, buildings, and part of the surrounding seawater should be transferred to Russia free of charge. The agreement is signed for a period of 49 years, although it can be automatically extended for another 15. The Russian side will pay 1 ruble annually to the budget in exchange for the transferred property.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to build a modern residence on the territory of Bichvinta State Resort.
In an interview given to RIA Novosti in August of last year, the so-called ambassador to the Russian Federation in Abkhazia Mikhail Shurgalin stated that the delay in the ratification of the agreement affects Russia's investment in such large projects in Abkhazia as the construction of the airport and tourist facilities and the reconstruction of the Abkhaz railway.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, calls the decision on the possible transfer of Bichvinta State Resort to Russia illegitimate and made without the will of the people.
“This decision, like all other decisions related to the airport and Ochamchire as a whole, is illegitimate, illegal, and made without the will of the people. These are our lands, our airport, our port, all of ours together, and therefore they are ours to protect. Our protection is in the international arena, to protest every day and always, so that these illegitimate steps do not materialize,” said Zourabichvili.
