Nugzar Ashuba: Georgian and Abkhaz peoples cannot live in one country

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“We have once tried to live in one state with Georgia, and are not going to try again,” speaker of Abkhazian parliament Nugzar Ashuba stated at a press conference in Moscow on March 24.

Commenting on a REGNUM correspondent's question on how he views plans of a number of Georgian opposition politicians to create a confederation comprising Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Georgia, Ashuba said: “I congratulate Georgia if it is going to build a normal democratic state, but what does it have to do with Abkhazia? We were annexed to Georgia as late as in the Soviet times, by decision of Stalin and Beria. Abkhazia has nothing to do with Georgia,” Ashuba emphasized.

“You Europeans can forgive your enemies, and we in the Caucasus are hot people, and we have the blood vengeance tradition largely preserved. And blood was spilled between us, several thousands of Abkhaz lads were killed. For this reason, we, unfortunately, are going to remain foes for the century to come,” the Abkhazian parliament speaker noted.

“I think, if Georgia recognizes independence of our country, it will influence the situation of the Georgian and Abkhaz ethnicities positively. We have failed to live in one country. We have tried once and are not going to try again,” Ashuba stated.