Abkhaz government delegation at the inauguration of president of Nicaragua
A representative delegation of Abkhazia, led by Abkhaz Foreign Minister, Daur Kove, participated in the inaugural ceremony of the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega. The ceremony was held in the central square of Nicaragua’s capital -Managua, on January 11. As part of the visit, the delegation also held the meetings with the heads of the number of ministries of the republic. Namely, the delegation met with Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, Samuel Santos López.
Besides, as Foreign Minister Kove reported on his Facebook page, the program of the Abkhaz delegation’s visit was rather eventful. “The meetings with the colleagues from individual ministries and departments, as well as with the President’s
Administration officials, were held. At the meetings the discussion focused on bilateral cooperation issues. We will surely show and tell more about it.” The Abkhaz Foreign Minister’s visit to Nicaragua was perceived in the blogosphere as a new phase of Sukhum’s activation towards Latin America. Minister Kove’s forerunner, Vyacheslav Chirikba, who headed the Foreign Ministry from 2011 till September 2016, focused more on developing contacts with Europe.
Consequently, less attention was paid to the Latin America, where Abkhazia’s independence, alongside Nicaragua, was also recognized by Venezuela. During his 5 years in office, Foreign Minister Chirikba had never visited the Latin American countries. Moreover, at the funeral of Venezuela President, Hugo Chávez, the Abkhaz Ambassador to Venezuela was the only person representing official Sukhum at the farewell ceremony, which stirred criticism of the Foreign Ministry’s activity in Abkhazia itself.
