Occupied Abkhazia’s de facto FM denies plans for Russian naval base in Ochamchire

The so-called Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia’s Russian- occupied Abkhazia region, Sergey Shamba, this week denied reports that a Russian naval base will be established in Ochamchire. In an interview with the Russian state publication RIA Novosti, Shamba said

“There is no talk of opening a military-naval base in Ochamchire port.”

Shamba emphasized the extensive “interstate” cooperation between the occupied region and Russia, highlighting security collaboration as one of its key components.

This statement comes after the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, announced that a permanent deployment point for Russian naval forces would be established in Ochamchire Bay, with an agreement already signed to that effect.