Abkhazia prints new banknote in commemoration of the republic’s first president
Abkhazia has released a new banknote worth 500 apsar [about $75] in memory of the republic’s first president, Vladislav Ardzinba.
An official press release states that the banknote is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the victory in the patriotic war of the people of Abkhazia.
2018 marks 25 years since the end of the Georgian-Abkhaz War, which began on 14 August 1992 and ended on 27 September 1993, resulting in a loss for the Georgian armed forces against Abkhaz and North Caucasian military units.
Around 13,000 people died in the conflict and around 300,000 people, mostly ethnic Georgians, became internally displaced persons.
The banknote cannot be used as a payment instrument, but it will be in circulation and available for purchase from Abkhaz banks. The Chairman of the National Bank of Abkhazia, Beslan Baratelia, says that the banknote makes for a good birthday or wedding present. The bill can also be exchanged for its worth in roubles.
Some organisations, however, have said that they are ready to accept the Abkhaz banknote as payment, such as the Fazil Iskander Sukhum Drama Theatre.
So far 10,000 copies of the banknote have been released.
