MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax-AVN) - President of the breakaway province of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh wants negotiations with Georgia to resume.
"The two parties' working groups need to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between the leaders of Georgia and Abkhazia. The first meeting of these working groups may take place in Geneva in April," Bagapsh said at a news conference at the Interfax main office in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The Sochi agreements suggesting ways to develop economic ties between Sukhumi and Tbilisi should serve as a foundation for these talks. We need to begin with the economy. In particular, we propose settling railroad and energy issues. Political problems can be tackled at a later stage," the president said.
Abkhaz passports will be issued to people planning to return to Abkhazia's Gali district from Georgia, he said. "Residents planning to return to the Gali district will receive internal Abkhaz passports. The possibility for these people to have dual citizenship (Georgian and Abkhaz - Interfax) requires further negotiations. For now, we will provide them with internal Abkhaz passports," Bagapsh said.
Russian passports will continue to be issued in Abkhazia, the president said, adding that most senior officials in Abkhazia are also Russian citizens.
"I am a citizen of both the Russian Federation and Abkhazia," he said.