Badra Gunba is counting on international recognition of Abkhazia and UN membership.
"I am confident that sooner or later we will reach a point where Abkhazia will be fully recognized, and our country will become a member of the UN. This is inevitable, no matter how much resistance there may be. This is what our people strive for, and we will definitely achieve it," the head of the unrecognized Abkhazia stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
According to Gunba, the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry, in coordination with Russia, is working to expand international recognition of the republic. He noted that he is primarily counting on countries in the Middle East, Latin America, and some Asian and African states.
Following the Russo-Georgian War of August 2008, Abkhazia's independence was recognized by five countries: Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria. Two more countries—Vanuatu and Tuvalu—recognized Abkhazia in 2011 but subsequently withdrew their recognition.
Even Russia's closest ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, hasn't dared to take this step.
Most countries continue to consider Abkhazia, like South Ossetia, part of Georgia.
