Georgia’s government should disclose which businesses supplied fuel to Russian-occupied Abkhazia, the volume of the shipments and their final destination, Berdia Sichinava, a member of the opposition For Georgia party, has said.
Sichinava said there would be nothing unusual about fuel being supplied to the occupied region for humanitarian purposes, provided that Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories was not violated.
“The issue should be divided into two parts. The main thing is that Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories must not be violated. If the movement of this cargo took place for humanitarian purposes, there is really nothing surprising about it,” Sichinava said.
He noted that Georgia is already involved in a number of humanitarian initiatives benefiting residents of Abkhazia, including financing medical treatment. He also cited the Enguri Hydropower Plant, whose electricity is used both in Georgian-controlled territory and in occupied Abkhazia.
However, Sichinava said the key concern was the lack of transparency surrounding the fuel shipments.
“We do not know what volume of fuel was supplied, which businesses were involved in all of this, or what procedures were followed for the fuel to enter the territory of occupied Abkhazia,” he said.
Sichinava claimed that the situation could raise serious concerns for Georgia’s territorial integrity and security if the fuel entered Abkhazia as commercial rather than humanitarian cargo and underwent what he described as “customs procedures” at the occupation line.
He said the government should also clarify the ultimate destination and purpose of the fuel, including whether it was used for critical civilian infrastructure and humanitarian needs in Abkhazia or could have reached Russian infrastructure and contributed to Moscow’s war effort.
“This is a very important issue,” Sichinava said. “Throughout this period, when they have been trying to convince us that the ‘deep state’ wants to drag us into the war, could Irakli Kobakhidze himself be the official, the prime minister, who is involving Georgia in the war — but on the side of the Russian Federation?”
He called on the government to identify the businesses involved, disclose the volume of fuel supplied, explain the procedures under which it was transported and clarify whether the shipment was humanitarian in nature.
“These are questions that concern the public, and I hope they have enough sense to come out and answer them,” Sichinava said.
The comments follow a statement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at a government briefing on Wednesday. Asked about fuel deliveries to occupied Abkhazia, Kobakhidze said the Georgian government itself had not supplied the fuel.
“We did not bring fuel into Abkhazia; businesses did,” Kobakhidze said. “If we can ease the situation for the population living in Abkhazia, we will do so, but within the framework of the Law on Occupied Territories.”
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