Abkhazia builds the future together with Russia

The known analyst and historian Spartak Zhidkov has told about what occurs in Abkhazia after the presidential election to our portal. He worked in informational-analytical department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia and in Presidential Administration of Abkhazia, forms a part of council of the Abkhazian media club “Ainar”.

- The presidential election has passed in Abkhazia without any excesses, with the maximum observance of rules of law and democratic procedures, so the legitimacy of the winner, Alexander Ankvab, isn't called today in question even by his contenders.

The victory of Ankvab means that the foreign policy course of Sergey Bagapsh will be continued and Russia shouldn't be afraid for the borders in the extreme southwest. Another thing is that the question of the power in republic is resolved not up to the end as the parliamentary elections are coming in the spring of next year. The opposition which has lost in August, 2011 expects to take a revenge on these elections or, at least, to make considerable fraction in parliament. And this, in turn, induces the president to be moderated in all that concerns the reforms promised by him. It is necessary to consider, that the republic population was tired of political debate and wishes a small respite, so the slowness of the president is quite defensible.

The formation of the government of Abkhazia basically has come to the end – the list of vice-premiers and ministers is completely made though the appointments of deputy ministers and also the heads of state companies and the State Committees proceed already now. Besides, it is quite probable, that these appointments aren't definitive.

New prime minister Leonid Lakerbaya is the veteran of the Abkhazian policy, holding the high posts in the government for many times for last twenty years. But there are new figures among his deputies, for example, 37-year-old vice-premier Vladimir Delba who has become the Minister of Finance part-time.

There are many young experts in the government of Lakerbaya who hold the key posts: the Minister of Justice Ekaterina Onishchenko is 33 years old, the Minister of Economics David Iradyan is 32 years old, the Minister of Culture Badra Gunba is 30 years old. The share of the representatives of not Abkhazian population has obviously increased in the structure of Ankvab’s executive power: one of three vice-premiers (economist Alexander Stranichkin) and two of twelve ministers (Ekaterina Onishchenko and the Minister of Social Security Olga Koltukova are the Russians, David Iradyan is the Armenian). The majority of the Ministers who have lost the posts, found the place in the power system too.
The opposition reproaches Ankvab for his unwillingness to create the coalition government. However it is necessary to remind that many today's high-ranking officials are proteges not of Ankvab and even not of Bagapsh: they have towered in Vladislav Ardzinba's board. Therefore it is impossible to say that the mono-party government is created in Abkhazia. By the highest standards, Ankvab has emphasized the professionals who are far from party struggle. (Especially it concerns the Ministers of the Economic Block).

Having considering that the Abkhazian government was strongly updated and new election campaign is not far off, so the people didn't expect any special fulfillments from the new power during these first months. Therefore it is possible to name the main events as the preparation for winter (extraordinary cold according to the Abkhazian measures), carrying out of III business forum with participation of some Russian officials, some businessmen and economists on November, 17-18th in Sukhumi and also the Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization reflected in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The fact of the agreement, according to which the observers should be on the Russian-Abkhazian border, let even from private Swiss firms, has caused some alarm in Sukhumi and the main thing is that it has given ample opportunities for attacks to the president for opposition in the press. Basically, it is obvious for the majority of the Abkhazian politicians that the arrangement doesn't mention the bases of the Russian-Abkhazian union. The opposition exaggerates this question as it is quite good possibility to type superfluous percent before elections.

It is indicative that it was given much less attention to a business forum (under the name “Abkhazia-2011: to the formation of strategy of economic development of Republic on the basis of cooperation with the Russian regions”) in the press. The possibilities for cooperation between Abkhazia and the Russian regions are very great, only the coordination of actions is necessary.

The prospects of the development of bilateral Russian-Abkhazian relations in economy sphere allow to develop the strategy of economic development of republic already now. In particular, the president has stated the opinion at economic development of Abkhazia at final meeting on November, 18th: to reduce (and, possibly, absolutely to stop) the tea manufacture in republic as the Abkhazian tea can't compete with Ceylon or Indian, collected manually; at the same time to increase the quantity of mandarins’ grades, to continue the acclimatization of kiwi and other perspective fruits; not to build up Abkhazia with new resort objects and to restore and result the old boarding houses and hotels of the Soviet period according to the world standards. Thus, the rate is made on a gradual constructive labor and multilateral cooperation with the Russian regions.