KNUT VOLLEBAEK, BESLAN ARSHBA DISCUSSED GAL DISTRICT RESIDENTS INTEGRATION IN THE ABKHAZ SOCIETY
04/02/2010 18:00 ABKHAZIA, SUKHUM
The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek and the head of district administration Beslan Arshba discussed integration of the Gal district residents in the Abkhaz society.
Knut Vollebaek being on a working visit to Abkhazia had held meetings with the republic’s leadership the day before, and visited today the Gal district where mainly Georgians live.
According to Beslan Arshba, Vollebaek was interested in Gal schoolchildren education, public health care problems, and the situation with crossing the Georgian-Abkhaz border on the river Ingur.
“I’ve explained to Mr. Vollebaek that there are no obstacles for the civilians who have to cross the border on humanitarian problems, they just need to observe the existing rules in order to avoid chaotic movement. I’ve also reminded the High Commissioner on National Minorities that border control on the state border on the river Ingur has been toughened because of acts of terrorism committed throughout many years in the Gal district”, Arshba said.
Touching upon the issues of education, Beslan Arshba told Knut Vollebaek that there were no problems with teaching Gal schoolchildren in the native Georgian language, they receive education in the Georgian language, the Georgian language and literature are also studied at Russian schools of the city of Gal. “In Abkhazia every nation has the right to learn the native language”, Arshba told Vollebaek.
In turn Knut Vollebaek said that Gal children should also study the history of Abkhazia and geography of Abkhazia in the Georgian language. (Now these subjects are taught in Russian at all schools of Abkhazia).
Knut Vollebaek, according to Beslan Arshba, was also interested in the situation with the Gal district hospital and ambulance. Arshba assured the OSCE representative that district residents were rendered medical assistance on spot; in case Gal residents had to continue with the treatment or go away to Georgia’s medical institutions, no problems arose, such questions were solved quickly. “We tried to answer all the questions Mr. Vollebaek was interested in”, the head of Gal district administration said.
After the meeting Knut Vollebaek told reporters that, in agreement with his mandate, he was preoccupied with the situation with national minorities in Abkhazia. “I was briefed on the situation in the sphere of education, public health care, and other questions”, he said.
In the second half of the day Vollebaek left for the lower zone of the Gal district where he met with the villages of Pervoye Otobaya and Nabakevi residents.
The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities also met with the district non-governmental organizations representatives.
