Russia ready to help Abkhazia restore national art gallery

SUKHUM. Feb 13 (Interfax) - The effort to restore Abkhazia's National Art Gallery and the building of a painting gallery still under construction will be completed within three or four months, the contractor's representative Rustam Tsveiba said at a meeting with Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, who is on a work visit to the republic, on Thursday.

Russia is ready to help fill an exposition after the repairs end, the minister said after inspecting both buildings. "We are ready to join in a standard operating mode, this is not even under discussion," Lyubimova said.

The gallery's stock was practically destroyed by a fire inside the Lakoba street building on January 21, 2024. The following day Russia sent its specialists who helped salvage around 150 works of art.

The minister also visited the Papaskir National Library where she inspected works of art not damaged by the fire. The library's interior is currently undergoing restoration, including with the aid of the equipment gifted by Russia. Some of the paintings could go on display right after the building work is finished at the gallery.