What the Abkhazian children frightened the Georgian politicians?

Not pleasant story happened in the Caucasus. It is known, what relations has Georgia with Abkhazia, but nobody expect that the matter will concern the children and comes to the international level. The essence of this ugly story is simple – the well-known children's dancing ensemble “Abaza” from Abkhazia was invited to dance at the international children's festival in Turkey and then made everything that the Abkhazian children couldn't show the art.

The international festival has to open on April 23. Organizers officially invited to act the children's choreographic ensemble “Abaza” from Abkhazia. The history of this collective is very interesting: it was created during the war in 1993 and it was created in order to save the children of refugees from a stress and though somehow to facilitate the heavy atmosphere round them. In three years “Abaza” leaves out of borders of Abkhazia for the first time and receives the Grand Prix at the festival Freckle-96 in Ramensky.

In 2003 the children's ensemble “Abaza” receives the “state” status. The list of its achievements impresses: the owner of Grand-Prix of the competition “Gold Fallow Deer”, the quadruple winner and repeated owner of Grand-Prix of the interregional festival “Christmas Stars” in Sochi, the winner of the international competition “Village” in France, the prize-winner of the I degree of the IV International festival “Friends of Bulgaria”, the prize-winner of the International competition “Music Holiday” in Prague, the owner of the Diploma of the prize-winner of the I degree of the New Year tree festival in Stockholm, the prize-winner of the Meetings with Children of Finland festival … The list can be continued further.

In ensemble repertoire there are the Abkhazian dances, dances of people of the world, classical and variety statements. Generally, they have what to show in any part of the world!

Certainly, the viewer will see such collective with great pleasure. And would go if the policy didn't prevent. As from the very beginning the Republic of Abkhazia was declared as the participant on an official site of a festival in Turkey as the independent state. And everything was quiet while the organizers didn't make correction of the name of the participating country under pressure of the Georgian party. The name “Abkhazia” was quickly changed for another: “Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia”. They informed the Abkhazian party at once…

Certainly, it was simply offensive for Abkhazia to agree on participation in a festival under such name therefore the republic officially refused to take part in such status. Then Abkhazia was excluded from the festival program in general and children, who dreamed to show the art abroad, began to unpack suitcases.
The people started to talk about this story and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia even made the special statement in connection with current situation. Here is its full text:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia expresses a deep regret in connection with an exception of Abkhazia of the list of the countries invited this year to the Republic of Turkey to the international children's festival on April 23, in memory of carrying out the first Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1920 in Ankara which was devoted to children.

Abkhazia highly appreciate the historical and cultural ties with the Republic of Turkey and welcome an intensification of contacts and cross-cultural communication of our people with satisfaction. The arrival of children from Abkhazia for a holiday, urged to popularize the world peace, was expected by numerous Abkhazian and Caucasian diaspora in Turkey with big enthusiasm.

However because of efforts of Georgia to politicize this cultural action, the Abkhazian children's dancing collective was excluded later from the festival program though before its participation was recorded on an official site of a festival. Unfortunately, it should be noted, as the new leadership of Georgia doesn't disdain to use any available means for isolation of the people of Abkhazia from cultural communication with the outside world.

In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia declares that no artificially created barriers will be able to prevent the process of cross-cultural communication of the people. We hope that the fact causing a deep regret of removal of the Abkhazian children's dancing collective from the program of a festival won't affect the traditional bonds of friendship connecting the people of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Turkey”.

As we see, the statement is not only very weighed and wise, but also all things here are called by their names. There were a lot of words about normalization of the relations with Abkhazia by the new Georgian authorities, but, as they say, things are right where they started. Differently, the essence of policy of Georgia in relation to Abkhazia remains former though the real power in the country passed from Mikheil Saakashvili to Bidzina Ivanishvili. Here, probably, Saakashvili was delighted to such turn: he could eat also a tie or to dance lezghinka!

But it won't turn out: and it doesn’t matter what dancer Saakashvili is – simply it is precisely known what disturbs him. Unsuccessfully swept by bicycle in Turkey and crashed down – probably, the shadow of the Russian plane seemed as once in Gori. And result is such: threefold fracture of a shoulder, metal inserts and 40 stitches … As it is reported on the page of the president of Georgia in the social network of Facebook: more than a month requires for full rehabilitation after a trauma …

And the Abkhazian children will dance all the same. Only now they know where they are not waited and why …