Abkhazia and Georgia, apart from the Geneva format, need a bilateral negotiating platform to address trans-boundary issues, - Aslan Bzhania, the winner in the so-called presidential elections in occupied Abkhazia, was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

“Whether we like it or not, Georgians and the Georgian state are our neighbors. Whether we like it or not, we have a lot of contacts both at the level of Georgian and Abkhaz citizens. These are the people who cross the border,” Bzhania said, adding that citizens have many problems that need to be resolved.

According to Bzhania, the format of bilateral dialogue must be changed to discuss the above problems. “This may not be as remote as Geneva. “This may not be as remote an area as it is in Geneva. It might be here on the border or somewhere else,” the de facto leader said.