Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia
Incumbent
Inal Ardzinba
since 18 November 2021
AppointerPresident of Abkhazia
Term lengthNo fixed term
Formation17 May 1993
Websitehttp://mfaapsny.org/en/
Politics of Abkhazia
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
People's Assembly
Speaker
Valery Kvarchia
Public Chamber
Political parties
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
Diplomatic missions of / in Abkhazia
flag Abkhazia portal

The office of Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia was created on 17 May 1993, during the 1992–1993 war with Georgia.[1] Due to the diplomatic isolation of Abkhazia, which remains widely unrecognised, the role of the foreign minister has been restricted mostly to negotiations over resolving the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.[citation needed] Empirical data nevertheless show that Abkhazia's Foreign Ministry also enacts (mostly low-level) diplomatic relations, such as the sending of diplomatic notes,[2] with various countries across the world, including Nauru, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Syria. It is also active in managing relations with other post-Soviet de facto states such as South Ossetia, Transnistria, and the Lugansk People's Republic.[3]

History

Government of President Ardzinba

Further information: Government of President Ardzinba

On 30 April 1997, former Aidgylara Chairman Sergei Shamba was appointed Foreign Minister instead of Konstantin Ozgan, who had been appointed First Vice Premier, succeeding Sergei Bagapsh, who had been appointed Prime Minister on 29 April.[4][5]

Shamba remained Foreign Minister until he resigned on 15 June 2004 along with First Vice Premier Astamur Tarba (who eventually stayed on) and Security Service Chairman Givi Agrba following the murder of opposition politician Garri Aiba.[6][7] Shamba was temporarily replaced by his deputy Gueorgui Otyrba on 18 July, and permanently by Abkhazia's representative in Moscow Igor Akhba on 28 July.[1][8] On 14 December 2004, following the Tangerine Revolution but while Vladislav Ardzinba was still President, he re-arranged the cabinet. Sergei Shamba was re-appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and additionally became Vice-Premier.[9][10]

Government of President Bagapsh

Further information: Government of President Bagapsh

After the election of Sergei Bagapsh as President, Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba was one of the few Ministers to be re-appointed, on 26 March 2005.[11]

Following the re-election of Bagapsh, Shamba was appointed Prime Minister (as outgoing Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab had been elected Vice President), he was succeeded by his deputy Maxim Gvinjia on 26 February.[12]

Government of President Ankvab

Further information: Government of President Ankvab

After the election of Alexander Ankvab, he appointed diplomat and academic Viacheslav Chirikba as Foreign Minister On 11 October.[13]

Government of President Khajimba

Further information: Government of President Khajimba

Chirikba was only one of three Cabinet members to be re-appointed in the cabinet of Prime Minister Beslan Butba following the May 2014 Revolution and the subsequent election of Raul Khajimba as President.[14]

Chirikba was again re-appointed under Prime Minister Artur Mikvabia, but on 20 September 2016, after the appointment of Beslan Bartsits as Prime Minister, he released a statement in which he announced his resignation because he was unable to continue in his post under the current circumstances.[15] The Presidential press service responded by claiming that Chirikba had not been re-appointed because he had failed to lead a delegation to Transnistria in early September.[16] Chirikba refuted this in another statement in which he explained that he had not been able to lead the delegation due to an attack of hypertension and claimed that the decision to re-appoint him had already been made at that point and that he had originally submitted his resignation on 31 August after Khajimba had for more than a month refused to meet him to discuss foreign affairs.[citation needed] In a press conference one week later, Khajimba specified that Chirikba had not been active enough as Foreign Minister and that as head of the Ministry, he had to be held responsible for certain financial irregularities that had been uncovered by the Control Chamber.[17] On 4 October Chirikba's successor Daur Kove was appointed.[18] In the intervening period, Deputy Minister Oleg Arshba had served as acting Minister.[19]

List of officeholders

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Government Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
–
Vladimir Arshba
Vladimir Arshba
(1951–2018)
Acting		17 May 199323 September 1993129 days–[1]
1
Sokrat Jinjolia
Sokrat Jinjolia
(born 1937)		23 September 199326 November 19941 year, 64 days–[1]
2
Leonid Lakerbaia
Leonid Lakerbaia
(born 1947)		29 June 199531 July 19961 year, 32 daysArdzinba[1]
3
Konstantin Ozgan
Konstantin Ozgan
(1939–2016)		31 July 199630 April 1997273 daysArdzinba[1]
4
Sergei Shamba
Sergei Shamba
(born 1951)		30 April 199718 June 20047 years, 49 daysArdzinba[4]
–
Gueorgui Otyrba
Gueorgui Otyrba
Acting		18 June 200428 July 200440 daysArdzinba[1]
5
Igor Akhba
Igor Akhba
(born 1949)		28 July 200414 December 2004139 daysArdzinba[8]
(4)
Sergei Shamba
Sergei Shamba
(born 1951)		14 December 200426 February 20105 years, 74 daysArdzinba
Bagapsh		[9][20][11]
6
Maxim Gvinjia
Maxim Gvinjia
(born 1976)		26 February 201011 October 20111 year, 227 daysBagapsh[12]
7
Viacheslav Chirikba
Viacheslav Chirikba
(born 1959)		11 October 201120 September 20164 years, 345 daysAnkvab
Khajimba		[13][14][15]
–
Oleg Arshba
Oleg Arshba
(born 1959)
Acting		20 September 20164 October 201614 daysKhajimba[19]
8
Daur Kove
Daur Kove
(born 1979)		4 October 201618 November 20215 years, 45 daysKhajimba[18]
9
Inal Ardzinba
Inal Ardzinba
(born 1990)		18 November 2021Incumbent2 years, 97 daysBzhania

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Предыдущие Министры и их Заместители". 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  2. ^ Pacher, Andreas (2019). "The diplomacy of post-Soviet de facto states: Ontological security under stigma". International Relations. 33 (4): 563–585. doi:10.1177/0047117819856397. ISSN 0047-1178. S2CID 197716843.
  3. ^ Comai, Giorgio (2017). "Quantitative Analysis of Web Content in Support of Qualitative Research. Examples from the Study of Post-Soviet De Facto States". Studies of Transition States and Societies. 9 (1): 14–34. ISSN 1736-8758.
  4. ^ a b The Jamestown Foundation (2 May 1997). "KEY ABKHAZ OFFICES CHANGE HANDS". Monitor. 3 (87). Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  5. ^ "НЕГА сообщает Россия". Nezavisimaya Gazeta. 30 April 1997. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Key Ministers in de facto Abkhaz Government Resign". Civil Georgia. 15 June 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  7. ^ Kuchuberia, Anzhela (17 June 2004). Премьер-министр Абхазии Рауль Хаджимба опроверг сообщения об отставке ряда высокопоставленных лиц правительства. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Ахба Игорь Муратович". Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  9. ^ a b В Абхазии назначены два вице-премьера правительства. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). 14 December 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  10. ^ В Абхазии утверждена структура Кабинета министров. Caucasian Knot (in Russian). 15 December 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Указ Президента Абхазии №44 от 21.03.2005". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 21 March 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  12. ^ a b "New Abkhaz FM Appointed". Civil Georgia. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  13. ^ a b "Президент Александр Анкваб подписал указы о назначении министров". Apsnypress. 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  14. ^ a b "Указами президента назначены министры иностранных дел, юстиции, по чрезвычайным ситуациям и финансов". Apsnypress. 17 October 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  15. ^ a b Chirikba, Viacheslav (20 September 2016). "Заявление и.о. Министра иностранных дел Республики Абхазия Вячеслава Чирикба". Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  16. ^ ""ГЛАВНОЙ ПРИЧИНОЙ НЕ ПЕРЕНАЗНАЧЕНИЯ МИНИСТРА ИНОСТРАННЫХ ДЕЛ ВЯЧЕСЛАВА ЧИРИКБА ЯВЛЯЕТСЯ ЕГО ОТКАЗ ВОЗГЛАВИТЬ АБХАЗСКУЮ ДЕЛЕГАЦИЮ В ПОЕЗДКЕ В ПМР", - ПРЕСС-СЛУЖБА ПРЕЗИДЕНТА АБХАЗИИ". Abkhazia Inform. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  17. ^ Sharia, Vitali (27 September 2016). "Рауль Хаджимба: "Я покину президентский пост в октябре, но 2019 года"". Echo of the Caucasus. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Даур Кове назначен министром иностранных дел Абхазии". Apsnypress. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Между Абхазией и Науру подписан Договор о дружбе и сотрудничестве". Apsnypress. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  20. ^ "Указ Президента Абхазии №1 от 14.02.2005". Администрация Президента Республики Абхазия. 14 February 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
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