NGOs call on the government of Georgia to strengthen humanitarian and medical assistance to Abkhazia
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, August 20
NGOs have addressed a statement to the government of Georgia, asking to further strengthen medical and humanitarian assistance to Abkhazia, on the background of the virus outbreak in the region. The De Facto Ministry of Healthcare of Abkhazia has made a public statement and called on the community to volunteer, since there is a lack of medical staff in the healthcare system, the majority of the physicians are fatigued and some are infected.
According to the statement, tourism is the main source of income for the majority of Abkhaz people and the pandemic has created severe social conditions for the region which is already on the verge of economic crisis. As the statement reads, against the background of social protest, on August 1st, the de facto government of Abkhazia had to open the border to Russia completely unexpectedly and unpreparedly.
The opening of the border to the tourists led to the distinct outbreak of the virus in Abkhazia. As of August 19th, there have been 197 confirmed cases, out of which 77patients have recovered and 3 have died. The statement reads that despite the criticism from the medical circles of the decision to open borders, the political establishment did not consider the concerns of the Ministry of Health on the insufficiency of the medical resources and still opened the borders.
The public organizations believe that in response to the crisis in Abkhazia, it is important the government of Georgia and Georgian community show steps of solidarity in support of the Abkhazian region. They also note that besides the original purpose of expressing humanism and the supremacy of human life, these steps also have a significant political potential of reconciliation and conflict transformation.
The organizations state that even though they acknowledge that the government of Georgia has already taken steps to support the occupied regions in response to the created humanitarian situation, the process demands strengthening and more publicity. Therefore, the organizations believe that the government of Georgia should provide additional medical resource assistance to the Abkhaz community.
The organizations believe that open support to the locals during the time of crisis will be a significant and historical step taken on the way to reconciliation and rebuilding of trust.
The statement is signed by the following organizations:
Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center-EMC; Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA); Caucasian House; Center for Peace and Civil Development (CPCD); Institute for the Study of Nationalism and Conflicts (ISNC); Democracy Research Institute (DRI).
