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SUKHUM, February 12 (Itar-Tass) -- Abkhazia will inaugurate on Friday
incumbent President Sergei Bagapsh and Russia will make him a present by
restoring regular passenger flights to the ex-Soviet elite resort on the Black
Sea after a 15-year break.
Bagapsh, 60, won the presidential election in December with 59.37 percent of
votes.
Presidential spokesman Christian Bzhania told Tass Russia, which helped
Abkhazia win independence from Georgia, will be represented by Federation
Council speaker Sergei Mironov and 14 regional governors, including Moscow Mayor
Yuri Luzhkov.
President Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia, which also won independence from
Georgia following armed intrusion in August 2008 that was crushed by Russian
forces, will also attend, as well as leader of breakaway Dniester region of
Moldova Igor Smirnov.
Venezuela and Nicaragua, which recognized Abkhazia’s independence, will be
represented by the ambassadors to Russia.
Abkhazia’s Interior Minister Otar Khetsia told Tass "unprecedented security
measures” had been taken in the republic. "Since February 11 interior agencies
are operating in mounted regime in Sukhum and in all other towns and regions of
Abkhazia,” he said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved a draft agreement with
Abkhazia to restore regular air traffic to the Sukhum airport of Boguchany that
was closed for 15 years following the war with Georgia in 1993.
The first civilian plane to land there brought Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov in September 2008 after the Georgian intervention in South Ossetia
and Russian decision to recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Boguchary airport was built in the 1960s and could service up to five
thousand passengers a day.
Abkhazian Airlines Director General Vyacheslav Eshba told Tass the airport is
technically ready and recalled that during the conflict in South Ossetia several
dozen heavy transport planes landed there in two days.
Presidential spokesman Bzhania said Bagapsh will pay an official visit to
Russia next week to meet President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Putin and
Patriarch Kirill.
After recognizing Abkhazia’s independence Russia opened a military base there
to train local servicemen and protect both land and sea border with Georgia.
Congratulating Bagapsh with the New Year of 2010 Medvedev said on December 30
that joint efforts "promoted the strengthening of the Republic of Abkhazia as an
independent democratic state. We succeeded to maintain security and stability in
the region and ensure peaceful life of the Abkhazian people.”
Putin said last year Russia planned to earmark 10.9 billion rubles to develop
Abkhazia in 2010-2011. He added Abkhazia may compete with Turkey for Russian
tourists. The prime minister said a million Russians annually go to rest in
Abkhazia against 2.5 million in Turkey. "That happens in current conditions when
far from everything has been restored in Gagry and other resorts” following the
war with Georgia, Putin said.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14814279&PageNum=0
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