Abkhazia moves to protect historic place names on digital maps
Anri Bartsits and Gunda Kvitsinia discuss stronger enforcement of legislation protecting Abkhazia’s geographical names
SUKHUM / AQW'A — Abkhazia’s Ministry of Justice and State Committee for Language Policy are to work with members of the public on measures to protect the country’s historic place names, following concerns about widespread inaccuracies on overseas digital mapping services.
The initiative follows an appeal by a group of hunters and travellers who highlighted the issue. Justice Minister Anri Bartsits and Gunda Kvitsinia, head of the State Committee for Language Policy, discussed the concerns at a working meeting.
Participants stressed that historic place names were an integral part of Abkhazia’s cultural and linguistic heritage and should not be replaced arbitrarily with modern alternatives.
They expressed particular concern about users of international digital mapping platforms renaming mountain areas and other geographical features without regard for their historic names.
The Ministry of Justice proposed strengthening enforcement of Abkhazia’s law on the naming of geographical features. A key step would be to designate a government body responsible for overseeing its implementation.
Ms Kvitsinia backed the proposal and said the committee was ready to cooperate. The committee had previously been responsible for regulating this area, but the relevant provisions were later removed from its governing regulations.
Further steps will be discussed at a broader meeting involving representatives of the Abkhazian Academy of Sciences and the State Cadastral Chamber. Experts will examine, in particular, the possible introduction of penalties for the unlawful use or distortion of official place names.