Russia establishes "new cooperation format" with breakaway Georgian region

Speaker of the Russian Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who arrived in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region, said after the meeting with the region's "de facto parliament" chairman Lasha Ashuba, a new format of cooperation was established.

According to Volodin, an "agreement" was signed on the interaction between the State Duma and the "parliament" of Abkhazia, Interpress.Ge reports.

Volodin said they agreed that a meeting will be held in a few months, the agenda of which will be jointly established by the parties.

"These will be problematic topics that concern both Abkhazian and Russian citizens. We believe that friendship is a two-way road. As for development, it is possible only on the basis of trust. It is impossible to build trust without dialogue," said Volodin.

"We have many things in common with Abkhazia - common history, culture, traditions, religion. We can speak the same language, and therefore, on the one hand, it is easier for us to develop relations, but on the other hand, it makes us very responsible," he said.

Speaking about the economic relations between Russia and Abkhazia, Volodin focused on the growth of trade, which he said is 41% more this year compared to last year.