Turkish MPs: Recognise Abkhaz Passports, Restore the Sea Link

ANKARA  — A press conference has been held as part of the campaign run by the 'End the Isolation for Abkhazia' Initiative, formed around the demand for direct transport links to Abkhazia and for its recognition.

A joint parliamentary declaration against the isolation of Abkhazia

At a press conference held on 5 August under the roof of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), with the participation of MPs from a range of parties, concrete steps towards lifting the isolation of Abkhazia were announced for the first time in a joint declaration at parliamentary level.

Those taking part were DEM Party MP Özgül Saki; Labour Party (EMEP) Istanbul MP İskender Bayhan; Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) Istanbul MP Ahmet Şık; New Party Ankara MP Okan Konuralp; DEVA Party Mersin MP Mehmet Emin Ekmen; DEVA Party Ankara MP İdris Şahin; Yeni Yol Party Deputy Group Chair Selçuk Özdağ; and representatives of the Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi) and of the 'End the Isolation for Abkhazia' Initiative.

The statement, read out by the journalist and TİP MP Ahmet Şık, opened by describing Abkhazia as 'a Black Sea country, our maritime neighbour only a few hours away, with which we have historical and social ties and to which some of our citizens have family connections'. It recalled that, in the aftermath of the genocide in the Caucasus in the nineteenth century, a significant part of Abkhazia's population was exiled to what is now Türkiye. Stressing that more Abkhazians live in Türkiye today than in Abkhazia itself, the statement continued:

'Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Abkhazia, which Georgia sought to occupy, resisted that assault and won its independence in 1993. From that point on, however, and particularly after 1996, it became the target of isolation policies.'

Noting that Abkhazia, although independent de facto, is unrecognised by all but Russia and a small number of other states, the statement said: 'Abkhazia is therefore held in isolation. One of those implementing these policies of isolation is our own country, Türkiye. Direct transport between Türkiye and Abkhazia, which continued for three years after the war, has been closed for 30 years; Abkhazian passports have been rendered invalid; and humanitarian, cultural and commercial relations between the two countries remain far short of their real potential.'

'There can be no excuse for a violation of human rights, nor for knowing of it and failing to act at once to bring it to an end'

The statement stressed that the isolation violates the right to life of patients whose treatment has been left unfinished; the right to education of students unable to reach the institutions where they wish to study; and the right to respect for private and family life of relatives who wish to be together in good times and bad, as families should be, but who are prevented from doing so by these policies. It underlined that declaring an identity document and a passport invalid on purely political grounds effectively destroys the right, guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of everyone to leave any country and to return to their own.

The statement went on: 'Denying the civilian population of Abkhazia their right to freedom of movement is a form of punishment that has no legal legitimacy whatsoever and that offends the international conscience. As set out above, many fundamental rights enshrined in universal human rights declarations have in practice been destroyed. The time has now come to put a stop to these violations. For there can be no excuse for a violation of human rights, nor for knowing of it and failing to act at once to bring it to an end.'

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+ Realistic approach in Türkiye-Abkhazia relations

The demands

The way to end the violations produced by the policy of isolation, the statement said, is for Abkhazian passports to be accepted as valid identity and travel documents at Türkiye's border crossings, and for direct sea and air links between Abkhazia and the Republic of Türkiye to be opened. These, it emphasised, are the shared demands of every section of society in Türkiye that holds human rights in respect.

Underlining that certain quarters seek to portray these as 'demands that cannot be met' by claiming they run counter to international law, the statement pointed to the examples of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Taiwan, adding: 'The methods used to overcome comparable isolation policies show that this is not the case.'

The statement closed as follows: 'In the light of the points set out above, and in order to bring an end to the isolation of the Republic of Abkhazia, with which we share historical, legal, sociological and family ties, we hereby declare that we call upon the present government:

'to accept Abkhazian passports as valid identity and travel documents at Türkiye's border crossings;

'to begin direct transport to Abkhazia from Türkiye immediately, by both sea and air.'

After Ahmet Şık had read the statement, the MPs present, Selçuk Özdağ, İskender Bayhan, Mehmet Emin Ekmen, Okan Konuralp, Özgül Saki and İdris Şahin, each took the floor.