The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, Inal Ardzinba, held a number of meetings with representatives of international non-governmental organizations working in Abkhazia, in particular, with the World Vision Project Manager in Abkhazia, Oksana Lasuria, the Government Liaison Officer of the Danish Refugee Council, Ada Dzhindzholia and acting head of the UNDP office in Abkhazia Rafis Abazov.

During the conversation with the coordinators, topical issues of interaction between international organizations working in Abkhazia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were covered. Inal Ardzinba gave a positive assessment to projects aimed at socio-economic development, assistance to small and medium-sized businesses, development of the agricultural sector and humanitarian support. However, the Minister called some projects implemented in Abkhazia as inadmissible. In particular, during the meeting with acting head of the UNDP office in Abkhazia Rafis Abazov, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia touched upon the topic of conducting a sociological survey among the citizens of Abkhazia, which raised issues of domestic political nature, and studied the possibility of establishing relations with Georgia. This survey was conducted on the territory of Abkhazia from June to August 2021.

“In accordance with the law “On Statistical Activities in the Republic of Abkhazia”, only state authorities can conduct sociological surveys. Your organization simply does not have the right to do this. In addition, this activity must be coordinated with the relevant department - the State Committee on Statistics,” the Minister stressed. Inal Ardzinba stated that this is the joint position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, as the main coordinating body, the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Security Service.

Inal Ardzinba also raised the subject of implementation of the COBERM project. “This is an unacceptable project aimed at misleading the citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia, establishing a direct dialogue between Abkhazians and Georgians at the level of experts and youth. The implementation of this project is unacceptable on the territory of Abkhazia. Write it down for yourself and do not run similar projects anymore. We do not allow you to do this,” the Minister stressed. Inal Ardzinba also noted that the COBERM project corresponds to the goals and objectives declared by the Government of Georgia.

Following the meeting, the UNDP office took upon itself the obligation to prevent further implementation