On December 11, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Abkhazia Oleg Bartsits met with students majoring in International Relations at the Abkhazian State University.

Foreign Minister Oleg Bartsits's address:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pursuing an active foreign policy for our country abroad. We are working in countries that have recognized the state sovereignty of the Republic of Abkhazia, and we are also working to expand the list of countries with which we can establish diplomatic relations, begin foreign relations, and develop humanitarian and cultural ties.

Obviously, this work has its own specifics. It isn't always overt; we don't always talk about it, especially when preparing contacts or visits.

But the results of such work are more active, focused relations with each country. Of course, I won't name the countries we're working on right now, but they include Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Therefore, our Foreign Ministry has quite extensive plans and aspirations.

The expertise of the employees and heads of departments within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is crucial in this work.

I believe we'll discuss the situation developing around our country in detail during the question-and-answer session.

In short, we're active and, in the best sense of the word, aggressive, both in terms of information and in our contacts with our negotiation partners. The dynamic situation is highly complex and very difficult to predict.

The situation in the South Caucasus and the Eastern Black Sea region is developing quite interestingly, characterized by rapidly changing realities. Therefore, we, of course, need to take all of this into account.

We are guided by our objectives and our foreign policy guidelines, including within the format of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Caucasus. The Geneva format, as you probably already know, is the only format where we can discuss, in such a format, issues that concern our country and our actions vis-à-vis a neighboring country with which, unfortunately, we do not have a signed agreement on non-use of military force.

The latest round, the 65th round of the Geneva Discussions, was recently held. If there is interest, I can tell you more about it. The next round, the 66th round, will take place in March 2026, and we are already preparing for it. We are monitoring the situation in the adjacent territory and receiving information on the positions of the Co-Chairs and the structures they represent. As you know, these are the UN, the OSCE, the European Union, and there are also delegations from the United States and the Russian Federation. And three interested countries, including ours.

So we can discuss this too, if it's of interest. Your questions, any questions, are welcome, and we will answer them frankly. Thank you."

During the conversation with the students, the Minister answered a number of questions and told about his visits this year to the Russian Federation, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Turkey, and the Republic of Nicaragua, the importance of the Geneva discussions, the work of foreign missions, and the challenges facing Abkhazian diplomats.