"Deceived" Investor Sends an Invoice, by Izida Chania

While Aslan Bzhania is firing cannons at sparrows (both literally and figuratively: lots of noise, little effect), another serious scandal is brewing in Abkhazia. This is a continuation of the story about investors who, according to the leadership, will revive our country's economy.

For four years, Bzhania has been persuading the naive Abkhazians, who do not understand their good fortune, to hand over all state property and the best coastal lands to Russian oligarchs. The arguments go something like this: they will develop the entire coastline of the country with apartments and hotels and provide you, who are incapable of anything, with jobs, pensions, salaries, and other material benefits.

However, the Abkhazians, sceptically eyeing the already launched investment projects that bring nothing to the country but expenses and additional problems, are in no hurry to express their enthusiasm for their president. Moreover, they resist their supposed good fortune because they see that the oligarchs, matched to us by Aslan Bzhania, have frozen the projects while waiting for the adoption of tax benefits for Russian investors and are engaging in manipulations for which the agreements signed by the Abkhazian government provide unlimited scope.

Take, for instance, the widely publicised project by President Bzhania and Prime Minister Ankvab for Tkachev's multifunctional complex in Pitsunda, "Moscow Resort" (hotel and apartments). It has been frozen and seems to be awaiting another resale to new "investors". Forty-five hectares of coastal land are sinking into a swamp along with the promised tax revenues. Former Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Tkachev, promised 5 billion roubles annually to the Abkhazian budget in 2021. Let me remind you that at the presentation of this project, Tkachev mentioned that he had agreed with Russian banks to provide him with a loan of 20 billion roubles for the construction of the multifunctional complex. Judging by the state of the "construction of the century", the loan secured by the 45 hectares of Pitsunda land went elsewhere. According to the agreement concluded by our undeniably valuable government with Tkachev, the bank can manage the land at its discretion. Now, a quote from Prime Minister Ankvab, who voluntarily shared responsibility for this project: "There are classic examples against which any persistence, including that of the Abkhazians, is powerless," said Ankvab in 2021 at the presentation of this Tkachev project.

Another large "investment project" is the Chernorechenskoe Trout Farm. Before the "investor" got involved, this facility was operational. It cultivated traditional rainbow and rare amber trout, Black Sea salmon, and carp using eco-friendly methods. There was a restaurant at the trout farm and a small hotel on the premises. The state and international organisations had invested millions of roubles and dollars into developing this facility. The fish were in demand among the population, as well as in restaurants and hotel establishments. But Aslan Bzhania decided that the state was a poor owner and sold (transferred) the facility to a foreign investor. And again, the name of former Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Tkachev, resurfaces. Where Tkachev is involved, problems always follow: the fish completely disappeared from the pools of the Chernorechenskoe Trout Farm, and everything became overgrown with grass and weeds. This is the second "promising" project which, according to Bzhania and Ankvab, was supposed to enrich our country.

And now for the scandal that started the week: the Sukhum Airport project. A couple of years ago, the country's only airport was handed over to the company owned by the son of Russian official Nurgaliev. Again, a detrimental agreement for Abkhazia was signed, under which the investor was exempted from all kinds of taxes, and the country's leadership took on unmanageable obligations. The public was promised that this was salvation, and the investor was restoring the airport out of respect for Aslan Bzhania. The latter reciprocates by creating a new ministry and visiting Abkhazia solely to inspect the construction and hold meetings with his officials at the airport, giving them instructions. All state-owned structures at the airport have been demolished, and outlines have begun to emerge. This is not just an airport but a sort of closed town, featuring apartments, hotels, restaurants, educational institutions, runways for VIP planes, and more. Essentially, a town for the wealthy with its own airport. The territory seemed insufficient, so the government of Abkhazia, showing extraordinary interest in the implementation of a private project, began negotiating with local residents about purchasing land. Of course, purely out of humanitarian considerations, and they do not expect any personal benefit from this project. Everything is for the country, everything is for the good of the people.

And on August 5, TV Channel "Respublika" published information that the government owed more than 200 million rubles to the investor involved in the reconstruction project of Sukhum airport. Compared to billion-rouble investments, this amount is not significant. But the issue lies not in the amount and not even in the fact that the investments are working in a direction contrary to what was promised. The problem is that Aslan Bzhania has entangled our country in an oligarch conflict. On social media, claims have been posted by JSC "Aero Management" addressed to Minister of Economy Kristina Ozgan. The General Director of JSC "Aero Management," Filipp Vladimirovich Mizonov (not the founder, just the director), reminds the Abkhazian minister that JSC was involved in the Sukhum International Airport reconstruction project at the beginning of 2022, paid for the design and estimate documentation for its reconstruction, and provided a cash loan to the country. But in 2023, the Ministry of Economy of Abkhazia deceived JSC "Aero Management" and signed a new contract, this time with LLC "Infrastructure Development." The public was not explained the reason behind the decision to change the "investor," but the debt, which apparently will be repaid from the budget, remained. Mizonov demands the return of 200 million roubles and states that according to the Agency Agreement, he "has the right to retain the property of the Airport in his possession to secure his claims" and promises to take the matter to court.

It is clear (and known) that behind both airport projects stand, let's say, influential people. While our Aslan Bzhania shows off to some oligarchs and deceives others, we are being dragged not only into debts but also into the squabbles of the powerful of this world. If this "gestalt" is not resolved now, the accumulation of unsolvable problems will simply crush both our ethnicity and our small Abkhazia.

Note: "Firing cannons at sparrows" is a proverb used when a person does not plan their activities, does not analyze the results of their activities, incorrectly selects means to achieve the goal, or sets the wrong goals.

This article was published by Nuzhnaya Gazeta and is translated from Russian.