14:16, 24 January 2019

Residents of Gali District of Abkhazia protest against closure of border with Georgia

A rally against the border closure at the "Ingur" checkpoint took place near the administration building of the Gali District. Residents are unhappy with the time restrictions on crossing the border with Georgia, and they are concerned about the issue of obtaining Abkhaz passports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 10, Abkhazia restricted crossing the Georgian border for two months because of the outbreak of the swine flu virus.

About 80 people gathered for the rally. Residents of the Gali District go to Georgia for work, training, medical treatment, for social benefits and to buy goods.

"The main reasons for outrage are the closure of the border due to quarantine, the impossibility of crossing the border to Georgia, and the issue of residents' passports, as since January 1, the 2005 passport of an Abkhazia citizen ceased to be valid," the "apsadgil.info" quotes Timur Nadaraya, the head of the Gali District, as saying.

Now, only energy professionals and seriously ill patients, who are treated in Georgia, can cross the border.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 24, 2019 at 06:52 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.