Abkhazia rules out reunion with Georgia

The Republic of Abkhazia’s return to Georgian control is impossible, believes the country’s Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Chirikba.

“It is a dangerous utopia. Nevertheless, the playing with fire continues,” the diplomat told a media conference on Wednesday. Financial and political support from abroad gives Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili confidence that he can continue pressuring Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as blackmailing Russia and “trying to get dividends out of that,” Chirikba stated. As for the settlement of the Tbilisi-Sukhum conflict, the minister said that Georgia is ruled by “hawks and revanchists” who do not want a peaceful solution to the problem. Abkhazia, though, is interested in establishing good neighborly relations with Georgia.“We understand that friendship and cooperation is always better than enmity and we are ready to restore relations and continua talks,” Chirikba noted. On Sunday, after attending an Orthodox Easter church service, President Saakashvili stated that the “evil force" occupying parts of Georgia will "retreat and definitely be defeated," cited Civil.Ge news website. “The occupation of 20 per cent of [Georgia's] territory by the enemy" was "of course a temporary situation," he added.Following the August 2008 War – which began after Georgia attacked the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinval – Russia and then several other states recognized the independence of the two Caucasian republics.