Abkhaz passports for Russians

The Abkhaz society is actively opposing a law that would allow Russians to build and purchase apartments in the republic. One of the many concerns is that, in the future, this law might enable a large number of Russians to become citizens of Abkhazia.

President Aslan Bzhaniya assures that there will be no possibility for apartment owners to obtain an Abkhaz passport. However, Inal Khashig, editor of “Chegemskaya Pravda” and JAMnews in Abkhazia, doubts this.

The authorities’ thesis is: “Everything is carefully planned, and under no circumstances will apartments be recognized as residences, and these people will not be able to claim Abkhaz citizenship in any way.”

From a legal standpoint, protective mechanisms might be in place.

However.

Imagine the law is passed, and in Eastern Abkhazia, the planned 10,000 apartments are built, housing 30,000 people.

Moreover, they all live closely together, essentially as an enclave.

After five to ten years, these “tourists” (as the authorities describe their status) with property in Abkhazia will inevitably want to influence local processes based on the principle of “I live here and pay taxes.”

They will care little about what Abkhaz legislation says about their status. In any case, they will want rights similar to those of local citizens.

Next, based on this desire, a public organization might be formed advocating against the discrimination of Russians living in Abkhazia and calling for the granting of Abkhaz citizenship to them.

And from that point, large-scale politics will come into play.

“We support Abkhazia financially, but the local authorities are pressing us, denying us the opportunity to obtain citizenship, treating us as if we are second-class citizens,” they will protest.

Ultimately, the Kremlin will instruct the Abkhaz authorities on the necessity of respecting the rights of Russians living there. And it will be the right thing to do from the perspective of protecting its citizens.

How the Abkhaz authorities will respond to dissatisfaction from the Kremlin, and whether their current promises of “don’t worry, they won’t receive citizenship” will hold up, is easy to predict.