Sokhumi Axes Abkhaz-Georgian CSO Dialogue Project

The “foreign ministry” and security service of occupied Abkhazia have barred global humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger from carrying out a project for what they called “promoting the goals and objectives” of Tbilisi by organizing Georgian-Abkhaz meetings of “political nature.”

In a statement released today, the “foreign ministry” claimed that the Action Against Hunger, via its Improving Local Governance Through Inclusive Development Approaches program organized joint training and seminars with the participation of Georgian and Abkhaz youngsters in Austria, Moldova and Armenia.

The “foreign ministry” further claimed that the Action Against Hunger, when addressing the Abkhaz authorities for approval of the project, concealed the information about the planned meetings between the youth.

The termination of the program comes as Inal Ardzinba, ex-Kremlin official-turned-chief Abkhaz diplomat organized today yet another round of bashing international nonprofits in Gali, an ethnic-Georgian majority town.

Since his appointment to the post in November 2021, Ardzinba began to ramp up pressure against international organizations operating in the region, demanding they seek prior approval for their programs, particularly those involving Georgian-Abkhaz dialogue.

There was no immediate statement by the Action Against Hunger about today development.

The Action Against Hunger has missions to over fifty countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. In Georgia, it operates in Tbilisi, the capital, in the town of Zugdidi, western Samegrelo region, adjacent to the occupied region, and in Sokhumi.

It implements the Improving Local Governance Through Inclusive Development Approaches with funding from the Austrian Development Agency, per information provided on the organization’s website.

Besides the program, Action Against Hunger implements in Abkhazia the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene program, with its third phase aimed at rehabilitating relevant facilities in 15 schools in the occupied region.

Also Read:

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)