The Foreign Ministers of Russia and Abkhazia signed a plan of consultations for 2021-2022.

Opening the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “A lot of questions have accumulated for a conversation at our level. We need to solve them. We will be guided by what our presidents talked about last November in Sochi, what they agreed on for further alliance and strategic partnership development. We are actively involved in this  as foreign policy departments. The plan of consultations signed today is a confirmation of this. It will allow us to continue to systematically, effectively and efficiently interact, thus complementing the close ties that have developed between the governments of our countries, individual ministries and departments, presidential offices, and security councils. We have a good growth in trade turnover in 2020. According to the Federal Customs Service, more than $ 250 million. These are serious numbers. And, of course, we continue to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. We saw how well our military medics were received, who set up a mobile hospital in Abkhazia and helped our Abkhaz friends for several months. Civilian medical staff also worked there. I hope that the trend that is observed now in Russia is also taking place in the Republic of Abkhazia. I mean reducing the number of infected. In any case, our cooperation on this topic will continue.

Thank you for accepting our invitation. I look forward to useful negotiations. "

Foreign Minister Daur Kove thanked Sergey Lavrov for the invitation to pay a working visit to Moscow and the opportunity to discuss the current state of Abkhaz-Russian interstate relations, the prospects for development.

Daur Kove said: “The dynamics of Abkhaz-Russian relations are encouraging. Our cooperation is built on the basis of alliance and strategic partnership. The agenda of bilateral relations is being successfully implemented. There is an active political dialogue between our countries both at the level of heads of states and at the level of ministries and departments. President of the Republic of Abkhazia Aslan Georgievich Bzhania met with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on November 12, 2020. There took place a discussion of the entire complex of our interstate relations.

Already in December 2020, the issues related to practical implementation of the agreements previously reached at the meeting of Presidents were discussed during the working trip of President Aslan Bzhania to Moscow.

I would like to note the active contacts of our foreign affairs agencies, including close operational interaction at the level of the embassies of Abkhazia and Russia. There are held regular inter-MFA consultations, during which was discussed both bilateral Abkhaz-Russian and regional agenda.

Joint work within the framework of the Geneva Discussions on Stability and Security in Transcaucasia is also important.

2020 turned out to be not an easy year for the entire world community, and at this difficult time we fully feel the support from Russia. I would especially like to note the invaluable assistance that the Russian Federation has provided and continues to provide to the Republic of Abkhazia in the fight against coronavirus infection COVID-19. This assistance has a multifaceted nature, including the operation of a military mobile hospital.

I would also like to note the growth in foreign trade turnover. According to the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Abkhazia, trade with the Russian Federation in 2020 amounted to about 20 billion rubles, which is 1.5 billion more than in the previous year.

I would like to note the broad interaction between the Abkhaz and Russian parties aimed at implementing the agreements set forth in the "Joint Program for the Formation of a Common Socio-Economic Space between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation on the Basis of Harmonizing the Legislation of the Republic of Abkhazia with the Legislation of the Russian Federation."

Dear Sergey Viktorovich, I hope that our meeting today will allow us to discuss key issues on the bilateral agenda and give an additional impetus to strengthening our strategic Abkhaz-Russian interstate partnership. "