MPs in Caucasus state vote down key new deal with Russia

The investment agreement sparked mass protests in Abkhazia and resulted in a collapse of the government last month

Lawmakers in the South Caucasus nation of Abkhazia have overwhelmingly voted down a bilateral investment agreement with Russia. The treaty served as the focus of major disturbances last month, after opposition members denounced it as unacceptable.

During a session on Tuesday, 21 MPs voted against ratification, with two others abstaining, a TASS correspondent reported. The 35-seat legislature had been initially scheduled to hold the vote in mid-November, but opposition parties objected to the deal and staged mass demonstrations, which escalated into a national crisis.

”Not a single person raised their hand for the ratification among the 23 MPs present,” lawmaker Kan Kvarchia told supporters outside of the building following the session. “This was not directed against Russia. It was a forced measure, because this deal that is unfair to Abkhazia could not have been ratified.”

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The treaty had been signed in late October and offered preferences to Russian investors willing to fund large projects in Abkhazia. The opposition said the terms were too favorable to Russian businesses and accused the government of abusing good relations with Moscow for the personal gain of its members. The small nation of some 244,000 broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s, though Tbilisi still claims it under its sovereignty. Moscow recognized its independence in 2008.

The wave of unrest was resolved after President Aslan Bzhania and Prime Minister Aleksander Ankvab offered to resign their positions. The parliament could vote on ousting acting Economy Minister Kristina Ozgan, who signed the agreement with Russia on behalf of Abkhazia, at a later session, MP Kvarchia said on Tuesday.

Moscow has distanced itself from the turbulence. The Russian government “supports swift normalization of the situation in the republic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during the crisis, urging both sides to keep the disagreement within constitutional boundaries.