Mass Protests Encircle Abkhazia’s Parliament: What Role Does Moscow Play?

16th November 2024

2 minutes read

Mass Protests Encircle Abkhazia’s Parliament: What Role Does Moscow Play?

Massive protests erupted outside the parliament in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, against an agreement with Moscow, with demonstrators calling for increased pressure on the president.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Friday that crowds of protesters gathered outside the parliamentary building in Abkhazia, a separatist region of Georgia, where opposition to a recent investment agreement with Moscow has been growing.

محتجون في محيط مبنى برلمان أبخازيا

A video published by TASS showed a truck ramming into the gates surrounding the parliament in Sukhumi as crowds flooded the square in front of the building.

Other footage, shared on Telegram channels, showed protesters attempting to attach ropes to the metal gates to pull them down.

According to TASS, several hundred people joined the protest, though Reuters could not verify these figures.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent states in 2008, after Russian forces repelled a Georgian attempt to reclaim South Ossetia in a five-day war. Most countries still recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia, from which it separated during conflicts in the 1990s.

Today, Abkhazia’s parliament was scheduled to vote on an investment agreement signed in October in Moscow by Russian Economy Minister Maksim Reshetnikov and his Abkhaz counterpart, Kristina Ozgan.

Opposition leaders in Abkhazia argue that the agreement with Moscow, which would allow Russian legal entities to undertake investment projects in Abkhazia, could harm the region’s economic sovereignty.

Ratification Cancelled

Protesters storming the parliament forced lawmakers to cancel the session intended to ratify the agreement after they failed to agree on the agenda, according to TASS.

Thirteen deputies voted in favor of the agenda, four opposed it, and two abstained.

Parliamentary Speaker Lasha Ashuba stated that only 21 out of 35 deputies attended the session due to the pressure surrounding the issue.

Security forces used smoke grenades against the protesters, resulting in eight injuries, with the wounded being taken to a hospital.

Escalation Ahead

An Abkhaz opposition representative stated that they were demanding the resignation of President Aslan Bzhania and a temporary halt to the ratification of the investment agreement with Moscow.

Former deputy Natali Smyr said, “This agreement is illegitimate. It does not represent the interests of our people. Alongside the president’s resignation, we demand a moratorium on this agreement and on the apartment law.”

If the authorities fail to meet their demands, Natali urged protesters to remain in the square surrounding the government complex.

Another opposition figure, Garik Kokaya, also addressed the crowd, stating, “There will be no compromise. The president must apologize to his people and step down.”