De facto officials of occupied Abkhazia, including Oleg Bartsits, the region’s so-called foreign minister, met with a “Somali delegation” that attended the “international economic forum” in Sokhumi on April 3-4, the region’s “foreign ministry” reported.
According to the report, the Somali delegation included “trusted representatives” of the country’s foreign ministry, Adan Muna Abdi and Ismail Hassan Nuur. The Abkhaz side, in addition to Bartsits, was represented by de facto economy minister Teimuraz Mikvabiya and de facto culture minister Daur Kove.
Somalia does not recognize Abkhazia as an independent country. However, Adan Muna Abdi, according to local news agency Apsnypress, “noted the need to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries,” saying, “We will work to ensure that diplomatic relations are established between our countries. Thank you very much for welcoming us.”
Apsnypress also quoted de facto officials, including Bartsits, telling the Somali delegation, “We are glad that you were able to find the time to attend the international economic forum being held in Abkhazia these days. We thank you for your interest in the Republic of Abkhazia, and we hope that this first step will be further developed.”
According to the report, Bartsits also stated that the region has “a combat-ready army, modern technical equipment, and is also developing its own education and healthcare institutions in cooperation with our strategic ally and partner – Russia.”
He reportedly added that the region has “significant potential in transportation and logistics, which is why the national ports are being actively developed.” He further noted that the opening of the international airport in Sukhumi “allows us to look to the future with optimism and confidence.” He also emphasized that the regional authorities are “open to cooperation and aim to develop friendly relations with all countries willing to engage in constructive dialogue.”
Only five countries recognize Georgia’s Russia-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia as independent states: Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria. Syria, the most recent to establish diplomatic ties with Abkhazia in 2018, has been urged by various Georgian and international actors to withdraw its recognition following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s rule in 2024.
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