Britain's ambassador to Georgia Judith Gough visited breakaway Abkhazia to discuss cultural cooperation. (Embassy photo.)

 

TBILISI, DFWatch – The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Georgia, Judith Gough, Monday visisted Abkhazia, one of two breakaway regions.

Ambassador Gough was travelling together with Regional Adviser Claire Delassard and Political Affairs Counsellor James Gallagher.

The delegation was received in Sukhumi by the breakaway republic’s foreign minister, Vyacheslav Chirikba.

Abkhazian news agency Absnypress quotes Judith Gough saying they went to the region to discuss possibilities of implementing projects within education, culture and English language teaching.

The foreign minister of the de facto republic said they discussed aspects of the interaction of the European Union and Abkhazia and also the aspects of the conflict with Georgia.

“I think we also share the idea that it is impossible to isolate the Abkhaz community from Europe,’ he said. ‘We raised the question of the possibility to put the British visa in the Abkhazian passport. We intend to send the appropriate request to the British Foreign Office and hope that they will consider it.”

Chirikba added that Abkhazia will categorically not accept the so-called ‘neutral passports’ of Georgia. Georgia has proposed these passports to its breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia.