Abkhazia closes ‘Action Against Hunger’ program for 'serving Georgia's interests'

Abkhazia closed Action Against Hunger program

In Abkhazia, one of the programs of the Action Against Hunger was closed, because of its alleged political connotations. The authorities did not like the part of the project that provides for intercultural dialogue between Abkhaz and Georgian youth.

This refers to three joint training sessions and seminars in Moldova, Austria, and Armenia for the Abkhaz and Georgian youth.

According to the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia, such initiatives “are of an exclusively political nature and serve the goals set by the Georgian government”.

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The decision was made after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found “incomplete information” in the project questionnaire and considered this “a concealment of reliable data”.

With the arrival of the former official of the Kremlin administration, Inal Ardzinba, to the post of Foreign Minister in November 2021, control over the activities of various international organizations accredited in the republic has tightened.

Now in Abkhazia, each project must undergo a mandatory approval procedure with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, the tendency for complete control of non-governmental organizations in Abkhazia was outlined even before Inal Ardzinba. For several years now, parliament has been working on a draft law lobbied by the Kremlin to regulate the activities of the non-governmental sector, similar to the Russian law on foreign agents.

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