“The Russian ruble will be used in Abkhazia because it helps maintain financial and economic stability in the region,” he noted.

On May 23, Sergey Shamba, Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, told reporters that Abkhazia was going to introduce a national currency. He said the banknotes had already been printed at a large French company.

Georgia came up with a plan to settle the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. This plan does not envisage the use of different currencies in Georgia and Abkhazia, while Abkhazia would be recognized as a sovereign state within Georgia.

In mid-May, Georgian authorities offered Abkhazia a special political and legal status within the Georgian Federation, as well as human rights guarantees and protection of national and religious freedoms. Abkhazia is currently a de facto Russian territory, where Russian passports and Russian rubles are used. Abkhazian authorities reject Georgia’s proposals to create a federation.