Syrian Foreign Minister Visiting Abkhazia

On 24 August the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal Mekdad arrived in occupied Abkhazia for a visit, where he met with the Abkhaz “foreign minister” Inal Ardzinba.

Per Sokhumi-based apsnypress, FM Mekdad’s visit to the occupied region is the first by a Syrian official of this level. As part of Minister Mekdad’s visit, he and Ardzinba signed a memorandum of understanding between occupied Abkhazia and Syria in the “field of political consultations…”

Per apsnypress, Ardzinba explained that they have been working on the document for several months and that it will “define the contours and mechanisms of our interaction.”

“The most important thing is that we are joining forces to expand our contacts with the countries of the Middle East,” he underscored. “We hope that the memorandum… will allow us to intensify the dialogue with these important partners and states.”

During their meeting, FM Mekdad and Ardzinba discussed common issues related to global security and Russia’s continued war against Ukraine.

They also considered areas of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic cooperation, as well as cultural, educational, and scientific fields.

“Our state considers Eurasian integration as one of the key, priority areas of foreign economic activity…,” Ardzinba denoted.

For his part, FM Mekdad thanked Ardzinba for the reception and efforts at strengthening relations between the occupied region and Syria.

In that context, he conveyed the Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad’s concerns over relations between Syria and Abkhazia but stressed that his own visit had helped to assuage those concerns.

During the meeting, the Syrian FM brought attention to the “historical roots” of Syrian-Abkhaz relations and underscored the hope that this meeting will develop “trade and economic relations between our countries, strengthen the interaction between young people, and most importantly, start a truly new stage of economic community between investors.”

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