Intl organizations' support of Abkhazia is incomplete without their recognition of country's independence - president
SUKHUM. May 17 (Interfax) - Abkhaz President Raul Khadjimba said he believes Georgia will have to recognize the republic's independence in the future.
"Georgia will have to recognize Abkhazia and then dialogue will develop differently. It is unrealistic to go back to the situation we were in," Khadjimba said on Tuesday while meeting with UN Development Programme Coordinator Niels Scott.
Scott, for his part, said there are specific results of the assistance provided by the UN to Abkhazia, specifically, in education and agriculture.
He asked what projects Abkhazia is interested in implementing.
Khadjimba responded to that by saying that "assistance and support of international organizations is incomplete without the recognition of Abkhazia's independence."
"Let's agree as follows: you recognize us! Your assistance in this direction will be the most effective. I am speaking generally about the possibility of our country being recognized by other states. Don't just help us. It turns out that we live, but at the same time remain controllable," he said.
Khadjimba said he hopes that relations between Abkhazia and the UN will continue developing positively.
"We are thankful for the assistance the international community is providing to us, but it has to end somewhere. The Russian Federation also provides considerable assistance to Abkhazia, which helps us stand on our own two feet. But this assistance will not last forever. The state needs to build its relations with the world, develop its own capabilities in the economic and financial sphere. And preventing us from going beyond a specific circle throughout all this time is not the best situation for Abkhazia," the president said.
