Protests shaken Abkhazia: Parliament stormed, government wanks!

Protests shaken Abkhazia: Parliament stormed, government wanks!

In the region of Abkhazia, which is independently recognized by Russia, which lies between the Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea coast, there were massive protests on Friday, in which hundreds of people stormed the regional parliament. The reason for this was a controversial investment agreement with Russia that was in the legislature for voting. Videos that were spread by the Russian news agency TASS show how demonstrators violently entered parliament and also took control of the adjacent presidential administration. The protests had already indicated at the beginning of the week when the opposition against the ratification of the agreement made it mobile, which should give Russian companies access to the Abkhasian real estate market, which fueled the fear of selling out of wealthy Russians.

The situation escalated when the police tried to push the demonstrators back with tear gas. According to reports, a truck broke through the gates of the parliamentary complex and there were further disputes in which the demonstrators threw eggs and plastic bottles on the police. Following the riots, the President of Abkhazia announced that the government wanted to withdraw the agreement. "The presidential administration is preparing a document to withdraw the draft law from parliament," said a spokesman in the Telegram messaging app. This decision was considered necessary to stabilize the situation in the republic. Against the background of the protests, the abchasic leadership is under immense pressure, after rare protests against the government led to the resignation of the previous President Aslan Bschania in November, for which the current President Gunba now exerts the office, reported the Kleine Zeitung .

The investment agreement that Russian companies would have allowed to initiate projects in Abkhazia is considered a threat by the population. In particular, the opposition fears that this regulation could displace locals from the real estate market after the purchase of real estate from foreigners in the region has been banned since 1995. The parliament had previously planned to coordinate the ratification of the agreement, which was signed in Moscow in October. These developments in Abkhazia sketched an increasing tensions between pro-Russian forces and the local population, which fears for their future, while Russia continues to pursue its power-oriented politics in the region. In addition, the situation continues to be complicated by Russia's military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which followed in the five -day war between Moscow and Tbilisi in 2008 when Abkhazia was recognized as independent, as the reported the press