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Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba.

The discussion concerned the current status of and prospects for expanding socio-economic cooperation.

The meeting took place on the eve of the 11^th anniversary of the recognition of Abkhazia’s independence and establishment of diplomatic relations with the republic.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am very glad to see you again.

We agreed on this meeting in order to look at the implementation of development projects that we discussed, primarily, the plans on social development, and to see what has already been done and what should be done in the near future. This is the first point.

Secondly, our meeting is taking place on the eve of the elections in Abkhazia, and I am hoping that they will be held in strict conformity with democratic principles and will promote further stabilisation, steady economic progress and democratic stability.

I am very happy to see you. Welcome.

President of Abkhazia Raul Khadjimba: Mr President,

Thank you for this opportunity to meet with you again and to discuss major issues of our interstate relations.

We can see this from the projects being carried out under our investment programme by our investment agency. Today the construction of socially important facilities, such as schools and preschools, is nearing completion.

Work is underway on developing the energy system thanks to Russia’s financial aid. Roads are also under construction. We consider the work on our defence departments and law-enforcement agencies, that we discussed before, to be very important.

We should also mention other projects, that we talked about earlier, that will enable Abkhazia to develop economically. These include sea and air transport systems and facilities.

Let me thank you once again on behalf of the Abkhazian people for all the work and attention you give to the republic.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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