Jordanian delegation has meetings in Sukhum, while Tbilisi doesn't deem it official
SUKHUM/TBILISI. July 5 (Interfax) - Abkhazia is interested in economic cooperation with Jordan, Abkhaz President Raul Khadjimba said at a meeting with the Jordanian delegation in Sukhum on Thursday.
"Abkhazia is a little country in terms of its territory, but it has abundant resources, which can evoke foreign investors' interest," Khadjimba said.
"There are practically no relations between Abkhazia and Georgia today," Khadjimba said, when asked about relations with Georgia by member of the Jordanian delegation Mohammed Raslan.
"There is a negotiating process in Geneva, where various countries, including the United States, the European Union, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, are represented. Practically all the problems are discussed there, but the most important thing is an agreement on the non-use of force. The Georgian side unfortunately refuses to sign an agreement of the sort. It is not us who have unleashed this war, but we have won it, and Abkhazia will never rejoin Georgia," the republic's president said.
The head of the delegation and Assistant President of the Jordanian Senate, Munir Sober thanked the republic's president for his reception. "A lot of members of the Abkhaz diaspora live in Jordan. They asked to convey their greetings to you and said that they plan to visit their native land at first opportunity," Sober said.
Jordan has trade relations with such large countries as Russia and China, he said. "But establishing ties with Abkhazia is also interesting for us," he added.
Members of the Jordanian delegation also met with Abkhaz Economy Minister Adgur Ardzinba and members of the republic's parliament.
In turn, the Georgian Foreign Ministry called the information disseminated by Sukhum representatives "untrue" that an official delegation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan arrived to Abkhazia.
This visit is "a private visit of members of the Cherkess diaspora," and the proposals and initiatives put forward by members of this delegation "do not comply with Jordan's official stance," the Georgian Foreign Ministry press and information department said in a commentary released on Thursday.