Abkhazian president links apartment law protests to foreign intelligence
Abkhazian president blames foreign intelligence
The president of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, linked recent protests against the apartment law to the influence of foreign intelligence agencies and replaced the head of the Abkhazian State Security Service (SGB), Timur Akhiba.
“The residents of Abkhazia, the absolute majority, understand that the foundation of our state’s development rests on two forces: the will of our citizens and the support of Russia. These two components cannot work without each other; it’s like trying to make an airplane fly with one wing.
Many forces do not want this to happen. Some of these forces are located in Abkhazia, while others are abroad, and they are active. The destructive activities of foreign intelligence agencies and their accomplices have not ceased, and we are experiencing this firsthand. It is difficult to obtain material evidence for all of this, but nevertheless, the fact remains,” Bzhania stated in an interview with the TV channel “Russia-24.”
For the past two years, Aslan Bzhania has been trying to push through a bill allowing Russians to build and buy apartments in Abkhazia.
The opposition and civil society were categorically against this, as it effectively nullifies the existing ban on the sale of real estate to foreigners, which was adopted to avoid a demographic imbalance in the republic.
On July 25, following massive protests, the parliament withdrew the apartment bill.
- Abkhaz passport for Russians with apartments: How realistic is this scenario? Opinion
- “The president of Abkhazia driven into a dead end by obligations to the Kremlin”. Opinion
However, the opposition was not completely satisfied – they remain concerned that the apartment bill might return to parliament in the future.
To prevent this, opponents of the bill have prepared an appeal to the president, demanding the adoption of a “counter-law” that would prohibit the sale of not only residential properties but also non-residential commercial spaces, including apartments, to foreign citizens and stateless persons.
Abkhazian president blames foreign intelligence
Terms, place names, opinions and ideas suggested by the author of the publication are her / his own and do not necessarily coincide with the opinions and ideas of JAMnews or its individual employees. JAMnews reserves the right to remove comments on posts that are deemed offensive, threatening, violent or otherwise ethically unacceptable.
