This “trade act” was a clear betrayal of the country, not serving Russia’s interests but the direct fulfilment of Russia’s next assignment at the expense of trampling the territorial integrity of our state, - this is how one of the leaders of the “Coalition for Change,” the convicted Elene Khoshtaria, assesses the import of fuel into the territory of occupied Abkhazia.

As Elene Khoshtaria writes in a letter sent from prison, “this was a Russian special operation carried out together with ‘Georgian Dream’ and this is betrayal of the country.”

“It is interesting who might believe that Putin and Ivanishvili, with his Kobakhidze, who perceive people as instruments for the realisation of their own party and personal interests, who are capable of using chemical weapons against their own people to retain power, suddenly felt compassion for the people living in Abkhazia. And felt such compassion that Bidzina rushed out and had petrol delivered in the form of humanitarian aid. Tell these fairy tales to someone else. The people do not buy this.

When you go to the occupation line, even if you are carrying 1 kg of ‘sweets’ or pasta and milk, you pass through more than one Georgian checkpoint. For these checkpoints to let you through, you must have called the SSG and been warned that you are going. They stop you, record the data from your identity card and after a certain delay either let you through or not. How can you imagine that some business approached the occupation line with 300, not to mention 3,000 tons of petrol, first the Georgians let them through saying ‘oh, how kind you are,’ and then the Russians greeted them with applause there. The occupation force, which is the one exercising effective control there and is responsible for every situation that arises, sits and watches how Georgians and Abkhazians are overflowing with kindness and how they help each other in times of hardship. Tell these fairy tales to someone else as well.

The fact is that this was not any humanitarian act. Kobakhidze himself said that this was an act of trade. An act of trade that was supposedly carried out in compliance with the occupation law. I do not know what they did technically, but I can tell you exactly that when negotiations were underway with Europe on the opening of trade, many days, weeks and months were spent thinking about how we could establish such economic relations with our occupied territories that they would receive European benefits and the territorial integrity of Georgia would not be violated. Extensive research was being conducted on this by sharing the experience of other countries and in the end this issue still remains unresolved. Against the background of this multi-institutional and procedural complexity, without any of us knowing, Ivanishvili and Kobakhidze suddenly dreamed that such forms exist. Tell these fairy tales to someone else as well.

This ‘trade act’ was a clear betrayal of the country, not serving Russia’s interests but the direct fulfilment of Russia’s next assignment at the expense of trampling the territorial integrity of our state. No assistance whatsoever for the citizens of our country. This was a Russian special operation carried out together with ‘Georgian Dream’ and this is betrayal of the country. Moreover, apart from future just justice, in their place I would also be very afraid of the Ukrainians, not to mention Western countries and sanctions.

I think the time has come to hold a large anti-occupation rally in the autumn; of course, this will be decided by the politicians who are outside, but I think it is truly necessary for the citizens of Georgia to show Putin, Ivanishvili and the whole world that Georgia, no matter what laws they adopt, does not intend to reconcile with the occupation and Georgia continues the fight against the regime, until the end!” - writes Elene Khoshtaria.

For information: Fuel was imported into the territory of occupied Abkhazia by LLC “Solidus.” As the company’s owner, Giorgi Arveladze, told “Radio Liberty,” 300 tons of fuel were imported into the occupied territory via the Enguri bridge.

Also, at a briefing held in the Government Administration on 12 August, the head of government Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the fuel entered the occupied territory in compliance with the law.