Wednesday 22 October 2014

Someone Needs Controlled Dolls


From the commentary  of Alkhas Thkhagushev, the  head of the Association "Inva - Sodejstvie", a member of the Public Chamber of the RA on a draft treaty on the alliance and integration between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia.


"I hope our politicians will stop infighting and be united standing for national interests in regard with the treaty. Nothing wrong is with it, the whole world lives like that, but why  suddenly we so easily must give up  the control over our country. Let our current and future partners (if truly Kazakhstan and Belarus are not far off) know  that it is necessary  to discuss on mutually beneficial terms. You cannot give the key spheres in the country into other hands. One has to negotiate carefully, but somehow all should remain under our full control including the allied structures established under the treaty.  That is why we need thoughtfulness, meaningful examination and not to rush."



http://asarkia.info/society-mix/1362/

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Кому-то нужны управляемые болванчики


 Из комментария  Алхаса Тхагушева, главы Ассоциации "Инва-Содействие", член Общественной Палаты РА по договору о союзничестве и интеграции России и Абхазии


"Надеюсь, наши политики прекратят внутренние разборки и выступят единым фронтом, отстояв национальные интересы в договоре. Ничего страшно в том нет, весь мир так живет, а нам с чего вдруг так запросто отказываться от контроля за своей страной. Пусть наши партнеры нынешние и будущие (если и правда Казахстан и Беларусь не за горами), знают, с нами нужно договариваться на взаимовыгодных условиях, и точка. Нельзя отдавать в чужие руки ключевые сферы в своей стране. Осторожно договариваться, но все так или иначе должно остаться под нашим полным контролем. В том числе и союзнические структуры, созданные в рамках договора. Потому нужна вдумчивость, полноценная экспертиза и никакой спешки. "

http://asarkia.info/society-mix/1362/

Monday 20 October 2014

I have a feeling that people who worked on this treaty had no understanding whatsoever of the specifics of the situation in Abkhazia.

Discussion of the draft treaty between Russia and Abkhazia continues. Aslan Basariya, candidate of economics and the head of the "Ainar"  expert club, commented on the document.
I do not understand the purpose of signing of a new alliance treaty as the treaty of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Abkhazia was signed long ago. There are a huge number of interagency agreements, which, in turn, can be expanded and revised.
The structure of the treaty at present gives rise to considerable doubts. It seems to me that the people who were involved in writing the given treaty had not studied deeply processes of a political character, the mood of the society, and also the first point of our Constitution, all of which are focused on building of an independent democratic state.
On reading this agreement, I did not find a single article that would fully suit us. Almost each article focuses on reducing our sovereignty. If we look at this draft through the prism of two parts, where the first is the preamble, and the other – basic articles of the treaty, it becomes clear that these two parts contradict each other. Phrases such as relations between equals, does not in any way infringe the sovereignty, frequently figure in the preamble. But if we go through the articles of the treaty carefully, it is quite the opposite. There are articles in the treaty that speak about  the way Abkhazia will enter the Russian Federation. The only thing that will be left of our country’s independence after this treaty is signed is the name "Republic of Abkhazia".
Perhaps there really was a need to sign a new Treaty with our strategic ally, but to start with it would be good to get a clarification of what is bad about the existing one. If it becomes clear that this Treaty no longer meets the rapidly changing situation, the initiative to sign a new treaty of alliance should be supported, but haste in signing such a document is unacceptable in any event. We very much hope that we shall finally begin to build a state in accordance with a scientific approach and respect for national interests. The "Ainar" members are convinced that an expert state body should be urgently established to formulate the goals and objectives of our state and the ways of their implementation, and this should be done urgently. We shall be able to draft and sign such treaties only if we take into consideration these goals and the paths [to their implementation]. 
Meanwhile, it is totally unclear what principles should guide us in the framework of integration processes in each specific sphere of existence, and this has become abundantly clear today in the situation with regard to the draft treaty. In general, I have the feeling that the people who worked on this treaty had no understanding whatsoever of the specifics of the situation in Abkhazia.
.I believe that the draft treaty should not even be discussed in the form in which it exists today. Undoubtedly, the treaty contains ideas for which we can be grateful to our federal state. This applies to the security of our country. We have a lot of problems and issues we should approach thoughtfully. But before you do that, you need to understand what a national interest is. It is not worth sacrificing national interests for the sake of saving face in a difficult situation.

http://abkhazworld.com/aw/analysis/1281-aslan-basariya-ainar-abkhazia#sthash.jBW9iG6I.dpuf

Sunday 5 October 2014

Once Again on Violations for the Right to Freedom of Movement for Citizens of Abkhazia


Once again on violations for the right to freedom of movement for citizens of Abkhazia with Russian citizenship
Up until 2002, when citizens of Abkhazia who possessed former Soviet passports crossed the Russian - Abkhazian border on the Psou river side, they were given a migration leaf with the abbreviation of stateless persons, i.e. a "stateless person". Citizens travelled to Russia as "stateless persons", despite the fact that all the while they had a country, a homeland, and a state with sovereign attributes. Yet,  been  not recognized by anyone, and Abkhazia continued to suffer under blockades and sanctions imposed by the CIS. During this period, the women of Abkhazia bore the brunt of these burdens, which placed the weight of their families on their shoulders. The international community did not care about this. Their primary concern was to satisfy the ambitions of the Georgian government, whose representatives in all countries and international platforms opposed the people of Abkhazia, despite the fact that their actions infringed on rights and freedoms approved in all internationally recognized declarations and conventions.
These conventions are guided by civilized nations, but are evidently against Abkhazia, which is unequivocally a double standard. We should also note the fact that citizens of Abkhazia refused to acquiesce Georgian passports, even during years they did not have legal travel documentation for the inherent right of movement. The so-called idea of Tbilisi’s "neutral passports" for Abkhazian citizens was doomed to failure. Imposing Georgian documents on Abkhazian citizens, after all Abkhazia had experienced since August 14, 1992, is pointless, and those who have any sort of insight into Abkhaz society understand this clearly. During the implementation of a United Nations mission in Abkhazia, a human rights activist requested UN documentation (a common request, for example, in Kosovo). The Georgian side, headed by Eduard Shevardnadze opposed this, which led to UN officials turning down the Abkhaz appeal.
Freedom of movement is one of the most critically important and fundamental human rights. In principle, it is the foundation of other basic human rights such as the right to education, the right to health care, and the right to life. For over twenty one years, this right has been violated and ignored by the global community, which in reality panders to the Georgian government and irrefutably disrespects the rights of the citizens of Abkhazia, regardless of their ethnic origin.
            Meanwhile, in other disputed states, having a non-recognized status or an unclear position on its political status does not violate the rights of their people to travel globally. In our case, the residents of Abkhazia are isolated from the world and have the right to visit only Russia and the few states that have recognized Abkhazia as a sovereign state.
In the Yeltsin era, after the beginning of the first Chechen war, the Russian government enforced a rigid protocol for crossing the border with Abkhazia. All men from 16 to 60 years of age were denied entry to the Russian Federation from Abkhazia. Others passed through the border after drawn out investigations. This protocol endured for several years and left bitter memories in Abkhazia. Today, if Abkhazians mention the " blockade", they are referring specifically to first few years of this strict practice on the Russian-Abkhaz border.
No international human rights organizations or the United Nations mission, which was in Abkhazia at the time, raised these issues at the appropriate levels. This can be attributed to the fact that the President of Georgia at the time, Eduard Shevardnadze, actively contributed to this blockade and used the situation to his advantage. In fact, sanctions were imposed as per his demands and were overwhelmingly supported by the international community. CIS sanctions against Abkhazia violated the rights of citizens and contributed to the generally lacking development of society, the slowing down of the economy, and other vital factors for the development of the state. The lack of rehabilitation programs, humanitarian assistance, recognized passports for free movement across Russian borders, and, most importantly, the neglect of the interests and rights of the Abkhazian people, greatly impacted the nation's health, from both a physical and psychological perspective.
Mass acquisitions of Russian citizenship by residents of Abkhazia in 2002-2003 solved some questions relating to the uncertain status of Abkhazian citizens in Russia. However, the problem of movement remained and continued to pose problems. One of the most pressing concerns was the travel to other countries, which endured even though citizens of Abkhazia held foreign Russian passports and made it nearly impossible for them to obtain entry visas anywhere. This visa issue is the most intractable and problematic, along with the recognition of Abkhaz passports that have been issued by the authorities of Abkhazia since 2010.
One of the reasons for the refusal to accept documentation for a visa or, as a rule, the outright refusal of a visa altogether is the fact that the Russian passports are issued to citizens of Abkhazia in the Russian Federation’s embassy in Abkhazia. Recently, a refusal on the part of European consulates to deny visas with regards to Abkhazians has been noted even with proper documentation accompanying Russian issued passports.  In this instance, the consulate in question required the applicant to provide a Russian passport with a residence permit in Moscow. This requirement cannot be seen as anything other than bullying and discrimination, because it turns out that while Abkhaz citizens have to secure visas and travel to other countries, they now need to look for ways to acquire a Russian passport with a residence permit for the Russian Federation. The Polish consulate in Moscow, as well as consulates for the Baltic republics, also required evidence of working in Moscow. Different reasons are imposed or invented for the refusal of visas, up till the most absurd one, which is an offer to apply for a visa at a consulate in Tbilisi. Representatives of European embassies and consulate overt and covert , but under strong “recommendations” and pressure from Georgia, act contrarily to all international norms and violate the rights of people in favor of political aspirations of the Georgian leadership, which actively promote the international isolation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
It should be noted that this is not so much about how to obtain tourist visas. Refusal of entry to European states and the United States also affect Abkhaz students who have secured admission to universities in these countries. In particular, recently, students were unable to travel to Italy; representatives of civil organizations whose aims were to participate in international forums and round table discussions held in the European Union were also denied visas. Visas are not given to children's dance groups and sports teams as well; if suddenly they were to somehow manage to obtain visas for these groups, an international “scandal” is arranged by the Embassy of Georgia in the host country. This also affects persons in need of special medical treatment. The latter is a blatant and cynical example of the violation of human rights and a violation of the articles of the Universal Declaration and all human rights conventions, and also, the universal principles of humanity and morality in the 21st century.
Human rights are not an exclusive privilege of large nations or only those whose countries are members of the United Nations or the OSCE. The United States and European countries have expressed support for the so-called "territorial integrity" of Georgia, which are Josef Stalin’s borders for the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (and his place of birth), and this support does not change the Georgian position on the recognition of the reality on the ground and does not improve the situation for the restrictions imposed on free movement for the citizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It is time to rethink a pragmatic security solution and the protection of human rights, not only of geopolitical interests.








Saturday 4 October 2014

Заявление МИД Абхазии в связи с очередными фактами дискриминации граждан Абхазии

В МИД Абхазии поступила информация о том, что представителям абхазского гражданского общества, направлявшимся в Варшаву для участия в неправительственном сегменте международного форума ОБСЕ по правам человека, было отказано в шенгенских визах. Ранее группе абхазских журналистов отказали во въезде в Чехию.
Рассматриваем политически мотивированное решение Консульского отдела Посольства Польши в России об отказе в визах гражданским активистам из Абхазии как дискриминационное и идущее вразрез с европейскими ценностями и здравым смыслом. Действуя по налаженной дискриминационной схеме, сотрудники польского консульства не придумали ничего другого, как издевательски посоветовать абхазским представителям «обратиться за визами в Тбилиси».
Этот позорный факт ложится в русло усилий, предпринимаемых Грузией и ее западными союзниками по изоляции абхазского общества, искажению информации о ситуации в Абхазии, конструированию антиабхазских мифов и насаждению ложных представлений о российско-абхазских отношениях. Наши оппоненты давно пытаются убедить международное сообщество, что позиции абхазского общества и государства по ключевым вопросам суверенитета и независимости Абхазии расходятся. Поэтому им не выгодно давать слово абхазским общественникам, которые с трибуны ОБСЕ поведали бы широкой международной аудитории совсем не о том, что хотели бы услышать в Грузии и на Западе – о реальном положении дел в Абхазии, приоритетах внешней политики и о фактах вопиющего нарушения прав ее граждан со стороны Грузии.
Эти и другие примеры свидетельствуют о том, что Грузия продолжает «воевать другими средствами», прикрываясь лицемерно-миролюбивыми декларациями о «мире, процветании и примирении». В Абхазии не привыкли доверять грузинским посулам, в том числе озвученным с высокой трибуны ООН. Лучшим ответом на эти «примиренческие разглагольствования» будет наращивание оборонного сотрудничества с Российской Федерацией, а также качественное повышение российско-абхазской интеграции в различных сферах, параметры и механизмы которого будут закреплены в новом российско-абхазском Договоре о дружбе, сотрудничестве и взаимной помощи, подписание которого планируется до конца текущего года.
МИД Абхазии вновь поставит вопрос о дискриминации граждан Абхазии, чинимой Грузией и ее союзниками, на предстоящем очередном раунде Женевских дискуссий по безопасности и стабильности в Закавказье. Мы будем продолжать последовательно и жестко отстаивать неотъемлемые гражданские, политические и социально-экономические права наших граждан. Никому не должно быть позволено ограничивать использование и осуществление гражданами Абхазии на равных началах всех прав и свобод, закрепленных в основополагающих международных документах.
- See more at: http://mfaapsny.org/news/index.php?ID=2905#sthash.5Y3ecO9G.dpuf