Georgia was indignant with visit of the Turkish journalists to Abkhazia

Abkhazia was visited by big delegation of Federation of Journalists of Turkey (80 journalists) who held the 44th general meeting of the Federation Council of Journalists of Turkey and took part in the first Abkhaz-Turkish congress of journalists. This event caused a big response in the republic and didn’t remain unnoticed in Georgia.

The chairman of the Union of Journalists of Abkhazia Vladimir Kapba, welcoming the guests, noted:

- We are sure that the visit of journalists will promote the formation of positive image of Abkhazia in the Republic of Turkey as the independent, sovereign, democratic state, promote the development of professional communications of journalists of both countries. We intend to discuss the questions of acceptance of the Union of Journalists of Abkhazia in Federation of Journalists of Turkey in the status of the observer. Besides, many thousands Abkhazian diaspora live in Turkey and the strengthening of the relations of friendship and neighborliness between Abkhazia and Turkey is very important for us; the advance of objective information about Abkhazia in Turkey, the Abkhazian society and culture, about social and economic development of the country, its foreign policy positions and reference points.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia Vyacheslav Chirikba expressed the gratitude to the Turkish journalists who arrived to the republic contrary to pressure from the Georgian consulate in Ankara which even didn’t disappear. He also spoke the Abkhaz-Turkish relations:

- The biggest problem of Abkhazia that the people know very little about the republic in the world including in the next Turkey where the many thousands Abkhazian diaspora live. Journalistic «landing» of mass media of Turkey is some kind of discovery of Abkhazia for the Turkish public. Abkhazia for Turkey is the friendly neighboring state. We will gradually achieve recognition of independence of Abkhazia by it, raising the level of our contacts.

In Abkhazia the historical and cultural ties with the Republic of Turkey are highly appreciated and welcome an intensification of contacts and communication of our friendly people with satisfaction. We really live in unique time. We build new, free, independent Abkhazia. However any state can’t develop without friends. We already improved the strong partner and allied relations with the Russian Federation, we develop and strengthen relations with other countries with which we have diplomatic and simply friendly relations.

Thanks to coordination of efforts of the management of the Abkhazian cultural centers in Turkey for the last years we considerably promoted in a question of establishment of good-neighborhood with the Republic of Turkey, its cities and regions.

At the time of formation of the Republic of Turkey there are a lot of outstanding Abkhazians and Circassians stood near Mustafa Kemal. So, the ethnic Abkhazian and Ataturk Rauf Orbay’s faithful companion was the prime minister of Turkey at Mustafa Kemal. We are the close neighbours, we are divided only by the Black Sea. We have to know better each other, we have big prospects in the field of business, in particular in the field of construction, agriculture and tourism, and also an exchange in the field of culture, education and sports. We are connected by existence of numerous diaspora of our brothers in the Republic of Turkey — citizens of Turkey — Abkhazians, Circassians, Ubykhs. I am convinced that at the Abkhaz-Turkish relations have the big and good future.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia called a number of important tasks in foreign policy activity of Abkhazia, concerning relations with Turkey: it is recognition of independence of Abkhazia from Turkey, opening of diplomatic establishments, mutual recognition of passports and other legal documents, establishment of the air and sea traffic between the countries, attraction of the Turkish investments in economy of Abkhazia.

The Turkish journalists also stated the point of view. The chairman of Association of sports journalists Anatoly Ibrahim Erdogan noted:

- Main objective of our visit to Abkhazia is adjustment of professional contacts between journalists, exchange of information, cultural interchange, distribution of information about Abkhazia in our country.

The head of Chagdash Gazet branch in the city of Bursa Yuksel Baksal declared:

- Our arrival here is connected with that we want to learn more about your country and to inform about it the wide reader’s audience of Turkey. We want that people knew about interests of Abkhazia, about how your independent state develops.

You have a free country, there are all conditions for development of the state. You have the fine nature, excellent opportunities milking developments of the competitive resort sphere. I believe that more and more people will come to you every year to admire all this beauty.

Following the results of joint actions the Union of Journalists of the Republic of Abkhazia and Federation of Journalists of Turkey signed the cooperation agreement where it is told that they «will promote creating favorable conditions for establishment and expansion of partner communications in the field of mass media, to development the general information policy and formation of a uniform information field».

In Georgia the trip of the Turkish journalists caused big discontent. From consulate of Georgia in Ankara the letters with offers not to visit Abkhazia were sent to heads of a row of the Turkish mass media and someone even was invited to conversation and dissuaded to go.

Georgia very attentively watches any attempts to come into contacts between the Turkish and Abkhazian parties. Because of pressure of Georgia the successfully functioning of ferry passenger communication between Abkhazia and Turkey was stopped. In April, 2013 there was simply shameful case: the children’s dancing collective from Abkhazia was excluded from the program of the international children festival though before its participation was noted on the official site of a festival.

Due to the trip of delegation of Federation of Journalists of Turkey to Abkhazia the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia was called the ambassador of Turkey in Georgia Zeki Levent Gumrukcu to express a protest. Curious moment: the Turkish delegation arrived to Abkhazia through Russia, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maya Pandzhikidze right declared that it is the violation of the law «About occupied territories» which acts in Georgia since 2008. Under this law the violation of entrance regime to Abkhazia and South Ossetia is punished by a fine or even imprisonment for a period of two till four years.