On September 29, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, Oleg Bartsits, met with a delegation from the Federation of Abkhazian Cultural Centers in the Republic of Turkey (Abkhazfed), led by its President, Yavuz Atryshba.
The meeting was attended by Ibrahim Avidzba, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Abkhazia to the Republic of Turkey; Jansukh Lazba, Deputy Chairmen of the State Committee for Repatriation of the Republic of Abkhazia, and Astamur Bagateliya; Head of the Middle East and Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, Artur Gaguliya; Eduard Manargiya, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia; Shamil Eshba, Secretary General of Abkhazfed; Bülent Pachaliya, Abkhazfed Secretary for Repatriation and Organizational Affairs; and Jankat Aytek, Head of the External Relations Department at Abkhazfed.
In his welcoming remarks, Oleg Bartsits expressed his pleasure at hosting of the delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, highlighting the significant and important work being carried out by compatriots in the Republic of Turkey.
"We meet frequently; we saw each other recently in Istanbul, where we discussed all current issues regarding our cooperation," Oleg Bartsits noted, emphasizing the positive nature of the collaboration with Abkhazfed, the Plenipotentiary Representation of Abkhazia in Turkey, and representatives of Turkish civil society.
During the meeting, Oleg Bartsits also addressed the issue of initiatives regarding the recognition of Republic of Abkhazia passports.
"We are, of course, following the initiatives currently underway—those that have recently been widely discussed. We welcome such initiatives aimed at recognizing of Republic of Abkhazia passports and fostering a desire for greater interaction and closer ties. At the same time, it is essential to clearly understand that both the Plenipotentiary Representation and Abkhazfed exist, and these efforts must always be pursued jointly and harmoniously, like one big family," he emphasized.
In turn, the head of Abkhazfed, Yavuz Atryshba, thanked Oleg Bartsits for the warm welcome and congratulated the Foreign Minister and the people of Abkhazia on the upcoming holiday—Victory Day in the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia (1992–1993)—wishing the Republic peace, well-being, and continued prosperity.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on developing of cooperation with the Abkhaz diaspora, expanding of cultural and humanitarian ties, and implementing of initiatives aimed at preserving of the national identity, language, culture, and traditions of the Abkhaz people.
While discussing ways to expand humanitarian contacts, Yavuz Atryshba highlighted an issue of concern to compatriots: the need to streamline visa issuance procedures. Representatives of Abkhazfed requested that the authorities consider optimizing of the visa application process for entry into the Republic of Abkhazia, noting that the current procedure can be time-consuming, even for compatriots who already hold valid Russian visas. In this regard, representatives of Abkhazfed have requested Oleg Bartsits to consider the possibility of issuing of the relevant visas—following the necessary procedures and checks by the Plenipotentiary Representation of the Republic of Abkhazia in the Republic of Turkey—as was the practice previously.
During its visit to the Republic of Abkhazia, Abkhazfed will participate in the commemorative events marking Victory Day in the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia (1992–1993).
The meeting was attended by Ibrahim Avidzba, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Abkhazia to the Republic of Turkey; Jansukh Lazba, Deputy Chairmen of the State Committee for Repatriation of the Republic of Abkhazia, and Astamur Bagateliya; Head of the Middle East and Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, Artur Gaguliya; Eduard Manargiya, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia; Shamil Eshba, Secretary General of Abkhazfed; Bülent Pachaliya, Abkhazfed Secretary for Repatriation and Organizational Affairs; and Jankat Aytek, Head of the External Relations Department at Abkhazfed.
In his welcoming remarks, Oleg Bartsits expressed his pleasure at hosting of the delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia, highlighting the significant and important work being carried out by compatriots in the Republic of Turkey.
"We meet frequently; we saw each other recently in Istanbul, where we discussed all current issues regarding our cooperation," Oleg Bartsits noted, emphasizing the positive nature of the collaboration with Abkhazfed, the Plenipotentiary Representation of Abkhazia in Turkey, and representatives of Turkish civil society.
During the meeting, Oleg Bartsits also addressed the issue of initiatives regarding the recognition of Republic of Abkhazia passports.
"We are, of course, following the initiatives currently underway—those that have recently been widely discussed. We welcome such initiatives aimed at recognizing of Republic of Abkhazia passports and fostering a desire for greater interaction and closer ties. At the same time, it is essential to clearly understand that both the Plenipotentiary Representation and Abkhazfed exist, and these efforts must always be pursued jointly and harmoniously, like one big family," he emphasized.
In turn, the head of Abkhazfed, Yavuz Atryshba, thanked Oleg Bartsits for the warm welcome and congratulated the Foreign Minister and the people of Abkhazia on the upcoming holiday—Victory Day in the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia (1992–1993)—wishing the Republic peace, well-being, and continued prosperity.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on developing of cooperation with the Abkhaz diaspora, expanding of cultural and humanitarian ties, and implementing of initiatives aimed at preserving of the national identity, language, culture, and traditions of the Abkhaz people.
While discussing ways to expand humanitarian contacts, Yavuz Atryshba highlighted an issue of concern to compatriots: the need to streamline visa issuance procedures. Representatives of Abkhazfed requested that the authorities consider optimizing of the visa application process for entry into the Republic of Abkhazia, noting that the current procedure can be time-consuming, even for compatriots who already hold valid Russian visas. In this regard, representatives of Abkhazfed have requested Oleg Bartsits to consider the possibility of issuing of the relevant visas—following the necessary procedures and checks by the Plenipotentiary Representation of the Republic of Abkhazia in the Republic of Turkey—as was the practice previously.
During its visit to the Republic of Abkhazia, Abkhazfed will participate in the commemorative events marking Victory Day in the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia (1992–1993).
