Esteemed Sergey Viktorovich, esteemed colleagues, dear friends!
First of all, allow me, on behalf of our entire delegation and on my own behalf, to thank the Russian side for the warm and hospitable welcome. We feel very comfortable, our accommodation is excellent, and we are ready to get to work. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to all our colleagues and friends.
Indeed, the cooperation between our foreign ministries largely defines the high level of our multifaceted partnership. Assessing the current state of affairs, one can confidently say that Abkhazian-Russian relations are at an all-time high. Today, this is a full-scale, comprehensive partnership that is developing and proceeding with increasing dynamism.
You quite rightly noted that three full-fledged meetings have already taken place between the presidents of our countries—between the President of the Republic of Abkhazia, Badra Zurabovich Gunba, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. We are holding our third meeting in less than two years. For us foreign ministers, this naturally provides additional momentum to our large-scale and highly effective cooperation.
All the areas of bilateral cooperation currently being developed by Abkhazia and Russia are of vital importance to the state and our people. First and foremost, of course, we must mention economic interaction.
Large-scale and highly promising infrastructure projects are being implemented. Work is currently underway to upgrade and expand the capacity of our international airport, named after Vladislav Grigoryevich Ardzinba. I would like to cite some figures—I believe they will be of interest. Over the past year and a half, our airport has already processed around 200,000 passengers. This represents significant added value and a major contribution to the economic stabilization and development of the Republic of Abkhazia, given that—as we all know—tourism is currently the driving force of our national economy.
Regular rail and sea connections also add to the total number of tourists wishing to visit and explore our country.
Of course, there can be no talk of full-fledged economic cooperation without a solid legal framework. I would like to draw your attention, esteemed colleagues and esteemed Sergey Viktorovich, to the fact that more than 35 agreements were concluded with Russian regions and individual federal ministries at the Abkhazian International Investment Forum alone.
This is, of course, an indicator of the intensity and level of our cooperation and contacts. Significant forms of cooperation are currently unfolding in the healthcare sector. A vast number of Abkhazian citizens are gaining access to high-quality medical care—supported by state-of-the-art equipment and facilities—through new collaborative arrangements with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Substantial cooperation is also taking place in terms of educational programs. Ongoing courses, training sessions, and professional development for personnel in this sector have become a long-standing practice.
We are also pleased to note the implementation of new products, particularly in the investment sphere. These include concessional lending programs that are already utilizing over 20 billion rubles. This provides a major boost to our economic development. Concessional lending allows us to—so to speak—start the engine of the national economy and implement large-scale, ambitious, and highly beneficial projects across a wide range of sectors.
These span everything from agriculture to construction, services, tourism, and beyond. Naturally, as I have already mentioned, all this cooperation rests on a legal and contractual foundation, and we are expanding our engagement with individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation and with relevant ministries.
I would also like to highlight another important area of our cooperation: our consistent and dedicated collaboration in the realm of so-called "soft power."
This is a joint effort—something we are undertaking together with the Russian Federation’s key strategic allies and partners.
It encompasses large-scale cultural initiatives and various events that enable us to realize our shared potential for the patriotic education of young people. It also involves new platforms that allow our youth to explore new fields and feel competitive in this rapidly changing world.
There is the "We Are Together" project, for instance—now equipped with state-of-the-art technology—which is already attracting a vast number of energetic and creative young people. Then there are the various events we organize jointly with our Russian colleagues.
For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia played a highly active role in organizing and hosting the "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" patriotic film festival here. We spearheaded this initiative within the Republic of Abkhazia and are, naturally, pleased with the results. Within a few days, many Abkhazian citizens and visitors watched these films, which convey truthful, accurate, and firsthand information from the zone of the special military operation—a conflict in which, as you rightly noted, Abkhazia has taken a very active stance, with volunteers and humanitarian aid flowing steadily to the new territories.
It is no exaggeration to say, therefore, that Abkhazia is honoring its allied and friendly obligations not merely in words, but in deeds.
We also note with special gratitude the cooperation between our countries' foreign ministries. With the assistance of the Russian Foreign Ministry, our foreign policy activities are taking on new dimensions. We are active on the international stage, frequently drawing upon the advisory, technical, and other support provided by the central office of the Russian Foreign Ministry; for this, we are profoundly grateful to you, the Ministry's leadership, and the relevant departments.
Furthermore, representatives of Russian diplomatic missions abroad provide us with comprehensive, all-encompassing support in any region of the world where there is scope to pursue our foreign policy objectives. This assistance is always professional and characterized by a true spirit of partnership and friendship. With the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, we have established a practice of actively consulting with the relevant departments.
Before each stage of our activities in any given region, we consult with our colleagues from the relevant departments of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and we invariably receive invaluable, necessary, and expert assistance.
First of all, allow me, on behalf of our entire delegation and on my own behalf, to thank the Russian side for the warm and hospitable welcome. We feel very comfortable, our accommodation is excellent, and we are ready to get to work. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to all our colleagues and friends.
Indeed, the cooperation between our foreign ministries largely defines the high level of our multifaceted partnership. Assessing the current state of affairs, one can confidently say that Abkhazian-Russian relations are at an all-time high. Today, this is a full-scale, comprehensive partnership that is developing and proceeding with increasing dynamism.
You quite rightly noted that three full-fledged meetings have already taken place between the presidents of our countries—between the President of the Republic of Abkhazia, Badra Zurabovich Gunba, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. We are holding our third meeting in less than two years. For us foreign ministers, this naturally provides additional momentum to our large-scale and highly effective cooperation.
All the areas of bilateral cooperation currently being developed by Abkhazia and Russia are of vital importance to the state and our people. First and foremost, of course, we must mention economic interaction.
Large-scale and highly promising infrastructure projects are being implemented. Work is currently underway to upgrade and expand the capacity of our international airport, named after Vladislav Grigoryevich Ardzinba. I would like to cite some figures—I believe they will be of interest. Over the past year and a half, our airport has already processed around 200,000 passengers. This represents significant added value and a major contribution to the economic stabilization and development of the Republic of Abkhazia, given that—as we all know—tourism is currently the driving force of our national economy.
Regular rail and sea connections also add to the total number of tourists wishing to visit and explore our country.
Of course, there can be no talk of full-fledged economic cooperation without a solid legal framework. I would like to draw your attention, esteemed colleagues and esteemed Sergey Viktorovich, to the fact that more than 35 agreements were concluded with Russian regions and individual federal ministries at the Abkhazian International Investment Forum alone.
This is, of course, an indicator of the intensity and level of our cooperation and contacts. Significant forms of cooperation are currently unfolding in the healthcare sector. A vast number of Abkhazian citizens are gaining access to high-quality medical care—supported by state-of-the-art equipment and facilities—through new collaborative arrangements with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Substantial cooperation is also taking place in terms of educational programs. Ongoing courses, training sessions, and professional development for personnel in this sector have become a long-standing practice.
We are also pleased to note the implementation of new products, particularly in the investment sphere. These include concessional lending programs that are already utilizing over 20 billion rubles. This provides a major boost to our economic development. Concessional lending allows us to—so to speak—start the engine of the national economy and implement large-scale, ambitious, and highly beneficial projects across a wide range of sectors.
These span everything from agriculture to construction, services, tourism, and beyond. Naturally, as I have already mentioned, all this cooperation rests on a legal and contractual foundation, and we are expanding our engagement with individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation and with relevant ministries.
I would also like to highlight another important area of our cooperation: our consistent and dedicated collaboration in the realm of so-called "soft power."
This is a joint effort—something we are undertaking together with the Russian Federation’s key strategic allies and partners.
It encompasses large-scale cultural initiatives and various events that enable us to realize our shared potential for the patriotic education of young people. It also involves new platforms that allow our youth to explore new fields and feel competitive in this rapidly changing world.
There is the "We Are Together" project, for instance—now equipped with state-of-the-art technology—which is already attracting a vast number of energetic and creative young people. Then there are the various events we organize jointly with our Russian colleagues.
For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia played a highly active role in organizing and hosting the "RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes" patriotic film festival here. We spearheaded this initiative within the Republic of Abkhazia and are, naturally, pleased with the results. Within a few days, many Abkhazian citizens and visitors watched these films, which convey truthful, accurate, and firsthand information from the zone of the special military operation—a conflict in which, as you rightly noted, Abkhazia has taken a very active stance, with volunteers and humanitarian aid flowing steadily to the new territories.
It is no exaggeration to say, therefore, that Abkhazia is honoring its allied and friendly obligations not merely in words, but in deeds.
We also note with special gratitude the cooperation between our countries' foreign ministries. With the assistance of the Russian Foreign Ministry, our foreign policy activities are taking on new dimensions. We are active on the international stage, frequently drawing upon the advisory, technical, and other support provided by the central office of the Russian Foreign Ministry; for this, we are profoundly grateful to you, the Ministry's leadership, and the relevant departments.
Furthermore, representatives of Russian diplomatic missions abroad provide us with comprehensive, all-encompassing support in any region of the world where there is scope to pursue our foreign policy objectives. This assistance is always professional and characterized by a true spirit of partnership and friendship. With the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, we have established a practice of actively consulting with the relevant departments.
Before each stage of our activities in any given region, we consult with our colleagues from the relevant departments of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and we invariably receive invaluable, necessary, and expert assistance.