Foreign relations of Abkhazia

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Republic of Abkhazia is a self-proclaimed independent state a disputed region which is recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Transnistria. (The first four of these are members of the United Nations, fully recognized as sovereign states.) Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1999,[1] but did not receive recognition from any UN member states until after the 2008 South Ossetia war. One of Abkhazia's main foreign policy goals is searching for further international recognition.[2]

Diplomatic relations

Foreign relations of Abkhazia
  diplomatic relations and recognition
  diplomatic recognition only
State Date of diplomatic recognition Diplomatic relations established Notes
 Nagorno-Karabakh 17 November 2006
  • On November 17, 2006, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh recognized each other's independence.
 Nauru 15 December 2009 15 December 2009
  • On December 15, 2009, Nauru became the fourth UN member state to recognize Abkhazia.
 Nicaragua 5 September 2008 10 September 2009

see Abkhazia–Nicaragua relations

  • On September 5, 2008, Nicaragua became the second UN member state to recognize Abkhazia.
 Russia 26 August 2008 9 September 2008

see Abkhazia–Russia relations

  • On August 26, 2008, Russia became the first UN member state to recognize Abkhazia.
 South Ossetia [note 1] [note 1]

see Abkhazia–South Ossetia relations

  • Abkhazia and South Ossetia officially recognised each other's independence.
 Transnistria [note 1] [note 1]

see Abkhazia–Transnistria relations

  • Abkhazia and Transnistria officially recognised each other's independence.
 Venezuela 10 September 2009 12 July 2010

see Abkhazia–Venezuela relations

  • On September 10, 2009, Venezuela became the third UN member state to recognize Abkhazia.

On 9 March 2012 an agreement to allow visa free travel was signed between Tuvalu and Abhazia.[3]

Visa Problems

Several states which do not recognise Abkhazia routinely refuse visa applications of Abkhazians, even though the application is made in Moscow on the basis of the person's dual Russian citizenship.

  • In October 2006 the American embassy denied a visa to Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba, who was to attend a UN Security Council discussion in New York on the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia.[4]
  • In February 2009 the Indian embassy denied visas to two Abkhazian women employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had been invited by the Jawaharlal Nehru University to attend an international conference. In response, Foreign Minister Shamba sent letters to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and to the Ambassador of India to Russia, Prabhat Prakash Shukla. The letters protested the very unfriendly attitude towards Abkhazia, pointed out that the applicants’ Russian citizenship had not been taken into account and warned that Abkhazia might respond in kind, denying visas to any future Indian visitors.[5]
  • On 17 March the Spanish embassy in Moscow refused visas for the members of the Abkhazian Futsal team, which was to take part in the first Copa de les Nacions de Futsal in Catalonia.[6]
  • On 13 May 2009, the German embassy in Russia initially denied a visa for a sick Abkhazian 16-year-old boy who was to undergo a complicated operation in a Munich clinic. Foreign Minister of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba said "such actions are out of line with universal humanitarian principles and are a direct violation of Abkhazian residents' rights."[7] However, the next day the German embassy in Moscow issued the visa, stating that the delay was due to the need to coordinate with their consulate in Tbilisi, which normally handles visas.[8]

Relations with other self-declared independent states

The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic,[citation needed] and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus[9] welcomed Russian recognition of Abkhazia. The militant Palestinian organization Hamas also welcomed the recognition of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[10][11][12]

Diplomatic missions

Offices in Abkhazia

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Abkhazian missions

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Membership in international organizations

Abkhazia belongs to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and Community for Democracy and Human Rights.

See also

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 It is unclear whether there is a date on which Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria officially recognised each other or whether they have always done so, and when they established diplomatic relations. Abkhazia and Transnistria signed a Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation on 22 January 1993, South Ossetia and Transnistria a Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation on 12 October 1994 and Abkhazia and South Ossetia a Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation on 19 September 2005.

References

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External links