PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR PUTIN’S INTERVIEW WITH ABKHAZIAN MEDIA

Government of the Russian Federation
12 August 11:00

Events / Photos"We said it many times to the present Georgian
leadership. I personally called on them to have patience and to win
respect, prestige and trust both in Abkhazia and in South Ossetia. And
it is only in this way – I believe it now and said as much at that
time – that their territorial integrity could be achieved."

Vladimir Putin In an interview with Abkhazian media

Question: Mr Prime Minister, a year ago, Georgia launched an attack
against South Ossetia. What feelings do you have as you recall this
date and what changes have taken place in the region since Russia
took measures to defend the peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

Vladimir Putin: When we recall tragedies, we, of course,
primarily think about their victims; we think "How did this
become possible?" And, of course, we analyse those events and draw
conclusions. For me it is clear that the main thing that can prevent
such tragedies from happening rests with the people in power who see
it as their duty to consider the opinion of men and women who live
in one territory or another. No single matter of state can be solved
without the will of the people, or without a consideration of their
will. But this is what the present-day Georgian leaders forgot.

Abkhazia knows well Russia’s position regarding this conflict and
how relations developed in preceding decades. There is no point
in pretending otherwise. You know how many times South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, in some or other form, approached Russia with pleas
either to let them join the Russian Federation or to recognise their
independence… But Russia behaved in a very even-handed and very
correct manner. Because we always proceeded from one of the fundamental
principles of international law, that of the territorial integrity of
states. But I think, in order to preserve this territorial integrity
after the disintegration of the USSR, it was necessary to treat the
peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with respect. It is necessary to
know the realities and to reckon with those realities. These realities
took shape over hundreds of years. After all, Georgia was accepted
into the Russian Empire, if my memory doesn’t betray me, way back in
1783, while Abkhazia joined Russia almost 30 years later, in 1810,
as an independent state. And it became part of Georgia when it was
already a component of a single country. The relations developed
with difficulty, we know it well, during all those centuries and
decades. Inter-ethnic differences, regrettably, occurred.

If the Georgian leadership wanted to maintain a single state, it
was necessary to treat both the Abkhazians and the South Ossetians
with respect. It was necessary to recognize the past mistakes and to
work to correct them. We said it many times to the present Georgian
leadership. I personally called on them to have patience and to win
respect, prestige and trust both in Abkhazia and in South Ossetia. And
it is only in this way – I believe it now and said as much at that
time – that their territorial integrity could be achieved. What was
the response? "Of course! We do understand! We’ll do exactly as you
say!" What did they do in practice? They did precisely the opposite:
military pressure, withdrawal of the autonomous rights, and eventually
an attack.

The crime caused many victims, both civilian and military. Undoubtedly,
Russia simply could not leave South Ossetia and Abkhazia without
support. And it took the only correct decision – to protect the
people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to recognise their
independence. After this happened, I think the situation has
stabilised, becoming very definite, clear and understandable. We have
created a legal basis that allows the development of our relationships
with both Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states, without
paying any attention to those who don’t like it. On this basis, we can
work together on development in the economic and the social spheres,
develop intergovernmental ties, and ensure stability and security.

To that effect, we are going to work within existing treaties and
agreements. The legal basis for our cooperation is strengthening;
we have drafted about 40 agreements with Abkhazia on various spheres
of our cooperation, and we are confident they are going to work
efficiently towards the well-being of the people of Abkhazia and
Russia.

Question: Does what you have said mean that the repetition of the
August 2008 events is out of the question?

Vladimir Putin: With the current Georgian leadership, there is nothing
we can rule out. However, a repetition is going to be much more
difficult for them this time. If there is anything at all that they
can draw lessons from, then the events of August 2008 should teach
them that talking only from a position of power is pointless. Apart
from that, within our treaty on friendship and cooperation, we have
agreements on military assistance. Russia is going to deploy its
armed forces in Abkhazia and take the necessary efforts to build a
modern border guard system in cooperation with the relevant Abkhazian
authorities. All these factors are serious guarantees of the security
of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Question: Mr Putin, it is for the first time that such a high-ranking
Russian official has visited Abkhazia. What do you expect from
your visit?

Vladimir Putin: First of all, I’d like to see things with my own
eyes. I visited Abkhazia a couple of times, very long ago. I first
came here when I was at university, as part of a student construction
team. After that, I stayed for two weeks in a Leningrad University
student camp in Gudauta. I also visited Sukhumi that time. That’s
why I’d like to see how Abkhazia has changed.

As for the business part, as I’ve said we are preparing a host of
documents regarding the economy, social issues, security, border
controls, and so on. All these issues will be in focus for our
negotiations with the Abkhazian leadership.

Question: While the people of the Caucasus have praised Russia for
what it did in August 2008, the West has been criticising Russia for
saving the two small nations. How does this policy of double standards
of the West affect Russia’s actions in the region?

Vladimir Putin: Well, we have always stuck to a sort of standard: the
West versus Russia. You know, the West is also not homogenous. Not
at all. In the so-called West, there are indeed quite a few of our
supporters. They all find themselves under certain pressure from the
leading NATO member country, the United States. Frankly speaking,
many of them refrain from expressing their positions publicly,
although their positions are vastly different from that of the
United States. You have mentioned double standards here. These are
not double or even triple standards; this is the absence of any
standards whatsoever.

After the end of the cold war some people in the United States
believed the illusion that they can act without any rules in place at
all, just as they want, as they like. They had only one criterion –
that of personal interests, which are very often misinterpreted by
the way. But in our view, now people are coming to understand that
everyone is interested in universal rules and standards stipulated by
international law. Because not a single country in the world today
is capable of – as resources are insufficient even if they would
like to – acting as a world policeman, as a world empire, which
imposes rules of behaviour on everyone. I think everyone has this
understanding now. And therefore, I would like to see that this will,
this opinion prevails on a political level, and not just on a level
of private conversations. And in fact, now we see that this becomes
the case more and more often.

As for criticising Russia, I would say that’s just a way to maintain
public opinion shaped under the pressure of one country. Nobody
wants to lose face, and for this reason, the notion, once started,
continues on and on, although the facts are becoming obvious. And in
real life these facts are gaining traction.

In this connection I would like to draw your attention to a very
important point. Do you remember how the situation evolved last
year? It was practically impossible to hear the truth on international
TV channels and in the mass media. Today almost everyone in the
international community has admitted the truth. They’ve admitted that
it was Georgia who was the aggressor, Ossetians and Abkhazians being
the victims. By the way, Abkhazia has acted very soundly over recent
years. 50,000 refugees have been able to return to the Gali District
of Abkhazia. That was due to the good will of Abkhazian people and
Abkhazian leadership.

But nobody paid any attention to that, though this was a very serious
step to settle the conflict. But even such steps did not prevent
Georgia from committing this crime a year ago. But anyway, the truth
will out. It will gain ground.

Question: Recently Russia has been actively supporting Abkhazia. Over
the last year a Russian school has been restored from ruins, a
Philharmonic Hall has been opened. A maternity home has been opened
in recent days and in addition, a hospital and both a Russian and an
Abkhazian theatre are being renovated. Roads are being repaired. All
these activities are financed by Russia. But emphasis is given to
mutually beneficial co-operation at meetings on different levels. What
is meant by this? What can Abkhazia do for Russia? What can Abkhazia
give Russia?

Vladimir Putin: Maybe not so much today. But we understand that and
we focus on the potential Abkhazia has. It has certain potential. We
are all aware of the size of Abkhazia and of its population, etc. But
I would like to say that in Europe and worldwide there are states
which are much smaller than Abkhazia in terms of their total area and
population as well. And they are flourishing. The citizens of these
countries feel great, they enjoy all kinds of social benefits and
high incomes, and they live in security. And I wish Abkhazia would
reach this level.

Certainly, all these small European states have special relationships
with their neighbours. Take San-Marino, Monaco etc. There are many such
states in Europe. They have all developed special relationships with
their neighbours – Monaco and France, for example. So, there is nothing
out of the ordinary about the special relationship between Russia
and Abkhazia. It is totally in line with international experience.

Well, why could Abkhazia be interesting for Russia in terms of
economy? The first point, which is obvious, is tourism. I have just
visited Turkey and met with Prime Minister Erdogan, a good friend of
mine, and with President Gul as well. We discussed different fields
of co-operation. Two-and-a-half million Russian tourists visit Turkey
every year. Turkey is a big country and there are a lot of modern
hotels there. And one million Russian tourists visit Abkhazia. The
figure is comparable with that of Turkey. One million! That’s what
we have under current circumstances, when far from everything has
been restored, neither in Gagra, nor in other resorts. Imagine what
will happen if we restore everything, if we provide security, which
will definitely be a cut above after we set up our military base, and
most important is the border. The border is crucially important. So
tourism alone means a lot.

Another opportunity, although this may be surprising, is high
technology. That is entirely feasible for a small country.

We should always keep in mind environmental issues, but there are
grounds to believe that there are mineral resources in Abkhazia. No
doubt, we have to consult the experts and the Abkhazian Government
in this regard. And if the Abkhazian Government thinks that such
projects are possible and beneficial for their economy, we can do
it together. There are also other areas providing opportunities for
mutual equitable co-operation.

Question: Despite the economic crisis the Abkhazian economy has been
actively developing. At any rate, that’s what our experts say. Economic
development depends directly on investment projects. As we know,
the economic crisis has hit Russia as well. Can it lead to freezing
of any investment projects?

Vladimir Putin: Naturally, all countries in the world have been
affected by the crisis to a certain extent, to a great extent, I’d
rather say. Russia has also been seriously affected by the crisis. We
had to resort to a budget deficit and to budget cuts. As you know,
we are complying with all our social obligations in Russia and we
will continue to observe them.

As for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, well, speaking of the Abkhazian
budget, this year we allocated funds to the tune of 2.5 billion
roubles to support the Abkhazian budget. And these are only the funds
allocated to support the budget; there are funds allocated for other
purposes as well. Next year the figure will be approximately the same,
just a little bit smaller. But, next year we are going to allocate
considerable funds for security purposes, specifically, for our
military base in Abkhazia – about 15 billion roubles. This money will
be used to reinforce the border and to create an up-to-date border –
not the Maginot Line, but a border – to enable normal communication
with both Georgia and Russia, to create modern infrastructure, to
equip the border and to equip border troops, to upgrade the military
base. All in all, it will take 15-16 billion roubles.

In addition, we will continue to pursue our social policy. Let’s put
it blankly, we will continue to pay retirement pensions, as we have
done starting from 2003, based on my decision. More than 1 billion
roubles have been allocated for these purposes this year. And next
year payments will remain the same. No changes are expected.

There are some technical issues to address regarding the status of
Abkhazia. The legal basis should be altered given Abkhazia is now an
independent state. And we will have to do it. Anyway, we will act
proceeding from the fact that nobody should lose anything. And we
will do it together with the Abkhazian authorities. We will find a
way to avoid any possible losses by the people.

And finally, there are infrastructure projects regarding transport,
border crossings with Russia, as there are weak points there. To
be frank, we have not found any specific financing sources so far,
but still motorway and bridge construction, railroad restoration
between Sochi and Sukhumi, marine transportation between Sochi and
Sukhumi – all this will require another 4 billion roubles. This is
a rough estimate. I would like to repeat that we have not yet found
sources to finance infrastructure projects, but the expenses have
not been calculated yet. The calculations are being done now by the
experts. And we will continue to do it.

Question: Everyone in Abkhazia was nervous when the venue for the
2014 Olympics was being chosen. Today Abkhazia is ready to help
Russia to get ready for this great event by providing ports and inert
materials. Does Russia need such support?

Vladimir Putin: Let me be honest with you. We started our conversation
today with the tragedy which happened a year ago. Abkhazians and
South Ossetians saw a big historic event – the declaration of
independence. This happened amid tense relations with Georgia. We
understand that. I am confident that everything will work out fine. I
find it inappropriate to rank the preparations for the Olympics
together with these problems. We should not consider all these events
together. Sports and the Olympics are beyond politics. But as for
the technical issues associated with preparations for the Olympics,
they should be tackled on the corporate and the commercial, rather
than on the political level.

Tenders take place, contracts are concluded, and we have announced
that everyone who has the best offer will have a chance to work. Both
Russian and foreign investors have a chance to participate in
investment projects without any limitation.

Question: The majority of the residents of Abkhazia are citizens of
the Russian Federation. Recently, passports of tens of thousands of
people have expired – I mean Russian international passports. This
entails difficulties in crossing the Russian-Abkhazian border. At the
same time passport replacement takes time. Is it possible to resolve
this problem smoothly?

Vladimir Putin: Too much red tape, I agree. Generally, about 100,000
residents of Abkhazia have been issued Russian passports over the last
few years. And it is true, many of them are expiring now. In 2009,
at the turn of the years 2009 and 2010, around 70,000 application
forms are to be exchanged.

This year some 10-12 thousand have been exchanged. A special office of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been opened in Sochi and another
one in Sukhumi, if I am not mistaken. Now the Foreign Ministry is
addressing the issue, and I think a decision will be taken soon on
opening a direct representative office in Sukhumi.

I think that these measures will speed up the resolution of this
problem. But it consists of two parts. Some residents of Abkhazia
need only an internal Russian passport. These are the retired people
who need these documents to get their retirement pensions. This case
is easier and it is dealt with by the Internal Ministry.

But as for those who want to have a Russian international passport,
it’s a bit more complicated, as the capacities of the Foreign
Ministry are insufficient. There are not going to be any political
limitations, and no measures will be taken to prevent the issuing of
these documents. It’s only an issue of building up the capabilities
of the Foreign Ministry, and we will do it.

Question: What about your relationship with the Governments of the
two new states – South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

Vladimir Putin: Everything is fine. If it were not so, I would not have
visited them. Dmitry Medvedev has also visited South Ossetia recently
as you know. Both republics are undergoing a very difficult period –
a formation stage, a statehood formation stage under very difficult
conditions. A child is born in pain. And that’s how Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, independent states, are being born today.

I would like to say it again that these are small republics, these
are small states. But there are many such examples in the world. And
there is nothing unusual about that. As for the Governments of the
republics, I think these people are professional, highly patriotic,
and they are capable of establishing internal order and building the
international relations of these republics so that they benefit the
people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia will be right by their
side. We are ready to encourage and support these processes.

Question: You already mentioned the situation on the Russian-Abkhazian
border in summertime. Could you be more specific? What specifically
is going to be done to make border crossing by Russian citizens easier?

Vladimir Putin: Well, this is primarily a question of infrastructure
development. We need to build another bridge across the Psou River –
a motorway and pedestrian bridge. A railroad needs to be repaired
and modern checkpoints are to be built. They should be modern to
eliminate crime and to make people feel comfortable. That costs money.

I gave you the figure already – a rough estimate of 4 billion
roubles. That’s a lot of money, especially, in the middle of the
economic downturn. But I already gave orders a couple of months
ago. I think you know that the number of military personnel has
increased. Now we are going to discuss additional measures with
Abkhazian authorities. Both border troops and the Foreign Ministry
will report on the ways to improve this situation without waiting
for big infrastructure projects to be finished. We are aware of this
problem and we will address it.

Question: One other question. The book about you "First Person:
An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait by Russia’s President Vladimir
Putin" provides a picture of you in Gagra.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I just talked about that.

Question: Do you have any special memories about that holiday and
what feelings do you have about visiting Abkhazia?

Vladimir Putin: I do have some memories. This would be my first visit
after a student construction camp. I earned huge money there – about
800 roubles. I remember that I bought a coat, which I wore for some
15 years, and we spent all the other money in Gagra. So, I have a
lot to remember. It was a good time! And I have many pleasant memories.

Question: You are not sorry about spending it?

Vladimir Putin: I am not sorry about anything. There was a very good
atmosphere there, very friendly. It’s a shame that Gagra was destroyed
as a result of military action. That’s a great shame. And I took it
personally, because I like the city – it is so beautiful. There is
something festive about it. These are my feelings towards it.

Abkhazia is a multinational country. There are Abkhazians, Russians,
Armenians and Georgians living there. And it was very natural and
harmonious. That was a big Abkhazian advantage. I hope things will
be the same again.

Question: Abkhazia has always been proud of its resorts. Many people,
especially before the war, came to Abkhazia for treatment and
for holidays. Thank God this tradition is gaining ground again. I
would like to ask you the following question. An official visit is
an official visit. But would you like just to come to visit us to
remember your younger years?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I would. But I do not know when it will become
possible, because, as you see, here in Sochi I am also not exactly
having a rest. I have to work here. But I have received an invitation
from Abkhazia and I hope one day I will have a chance to accept it.

Question: Mr Prime Minister, Abkhazia respects your opinion and
your judgment. What would you wish to our people? I mean everyone –
Abkhazians, Russians, Armenians and Georgians in the current situation?

Vladimir Putin: I think it is very important to restore trust
in Abkhazian society. Abkhazia is a small, but a multi-national
country. The harmony we saw in the Soviet times between Abkhazians,
Russians, Armenians, Georgians and other nationalities represented
in Abkhazia is of the utmost importance and it is crucial to the
well-being of the republic. This was the first point.

And secondly, today, unanimity of all the political forces is
crucial. Because Abkhazia is just starting up as a state, it is
starting to restore its economy. And it is very important to reach
a unified position in all areas.