Konstantin Kazenin, an analyst and Editor-in-Chief of info agency Regnum, spoke to Russia Today on the 15 years of Georgia-Abkhazia conflict.

Russia Today: Abkhazian president Sergey Bagapsh has maintained that Georgians and Abkhazians will never get on, will never live in one state. He says that the conflict was an act of aggression against his own people. What are your views on this?

Konstantin Kazenin: Well, as it often happens in such conflicts each side of the conflict, let's say, is partly correct. On the one hand during the Soviet time Abkhazia was a part of Georgian republic which in turn was a part of the USSR. But exactly during the Soviet time and especially during the collapse of the Soviet Union ethnic relations in Abkhazia were very difficult, very complex and especially between Georgians and Abkhazians as the main ethnic groups in Abkhazia. Also Greeks and Armenians, who live in Abkhazia, played their role. Yes, as Abkhazians state, to a large extent it is correct, national politics of Georgia was rather oppressive towards them. This is true. During all the time of the Soviet Union and the time of its collapse. And that is why the war was not something entirely unexpected. But on the other hand – yes, it was an aggression, because nobody expected that at exactly that moment some Georgian military groups, not all of them, by the way, had legal status of regular army, there were just military groups led by some warlords who appeared in Georgia during the civil war, they invaded Abkhazia in August 1992.

RT: What is life like now for Abkhazians? Because once it was a prime holiday destination for the Soviet elite and rich people who enjoyed it and there was a great economy once. Now the economy is in ruins. What is life like for the people who live there?

K.K.: I visit Abkhazia often and I can say that during the last years they have done certain progress in economy. Their main problem is that the railway is blocked, which goes through Abkhazia from Russia to Georgia, to Armenia and so on. It is blocked. But they are trying to develop tourism and partly they are a success. The new generation has grown up.

RT: You say there could be a positive future. This conflict was 14 years ago and still nobody has recognized Abkhazia as an independent state? What is the future?

K.K.: The future depends upon many factors and it is hard to predict. I can say only one thing. The new generation has grown up in Abkhazia after the war. And as far as I can see, as far as I see this generation probably they are not very much within this ethnic conflict which was in the 1990s. But they perceive Georgia just as a neighbouring country. They do not see their future within Georgia, this is very much obvious.

RT: So, in some ways, their future is determined by the relationship between Georgia and Russia? At the moment Russian peacekeeping troops are in Abkhazia, Georgia wants them out. This is going to be a long-going dispute. For how long will this continue?

K.K.: It will continue as long as the status of Abkhazia is not determined because nowadays the situation at the border between Abkhazia and Georgia is quite complex. Georgian refugees are returning to Abkhazia but the situation in the area where they return needs some regulation and peacekeepers are needed for this.

RT: And the Russian peacekeepers?

K.K.: At the moment there are Russian peacekeepers on it. It is not just the initiative of Russia, because they have an international mandate.

RT: Are you positive about the future or negative?

K.K.: I would not say it in one word. The future is going to be quite difficult but I hope that in the result, in the end it would be positive for the people of Abkhazia.