Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at talks with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Abkhazia Sergey Shamba, Moscow, October 4, 2024
4 October 2024 13:32
1872-04-10-2024
Mr Shamba,
Friends,
Colleagues,
I would like to congratulate you on your national holiday, Victory and Independence Day, which you marked on September 30. You have been in this building on many occasions in different capacities. Today, you have come here for the first time after returning to the post of foreign minister. Please accept our congratulations.
I remember working together with you in 2008, during the events that have led to the declaration of Abkhazia's independence and its recognition by the Russian Federation. While holding the offices of prime minister and Security Council secretary, you greatly contributed to strengthening the state of Abkhazia and allied relations between our states.
Our bilateral relations are growing stronger, and our political dialogue is developing. Our presidents maintain regular contacts. In March 2024, they had a detailed telephone conversation. Russian and Abkhazian departments have established close economic, cultural and humanitarian ties. I received interesting information that our trade has increased by 50 percent since the pre-COVID period. It is a good result.
We will continue to provide assistance to Abkhazia's socioeconomic development. We are implementing a joint investment programme. Abkhazia's GDP is growing twice as fast as planned.
We are grateful for your stance regarding the special military operation, and we are grateful to Abkhazian volunteers and citizens who are providing humanitarian assistance to our regions. We are grateful for your readiness to provide accommodation to the Russian citizens who had to flee from the affected regions of Russia. We appreciate your invitation to children from the Kursk Region to stay at the Ochamchira children's camp as another example of the Abkhazian generosity of spirit.
We will continue working together to ensure the security and strengthen the international standing of the Republic of Abkhazia in accordance with our agreements. Our foreign ministries are actively interacting and implementing the 2024-2025 plan of consultations at all points. The Russian embassies in the countries where Abkhazia has diplomatic missions (Syria and Nicaragua) interact on a daily basis. We hold positions of principle on the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus, where we are promoting agreements that will reliably ensure security and stability in the region based on the recognition of the current realities, including the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
I hope that your diplomats are satisfied with the standards of advanced training they receive at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. We will also continue to train personnel for the Republic of Abkhazia at MGIMO University.
We have a stable legal framework of over 120 documents. We welcome the latest step you have taken in this sphere, namely, the ratification on September 21, 2024, of the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia on the Recognition and Enforcement of Court Decisions and Arbitration Awards in Economic Cases. We hope that the other draft documents under our consideration will be coordinated without any delay as well.
Today we will discuss our bilateral affairs, following which Foreign Minister of the Republic of South Ossetia Akhsar Dzhioyev will join us to review the foreign policy aspects of our cooperation. There is a lot to discuss there. I am sure that we will have fruitful talks today.
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