A so-called delegation from occupied Abkhazia is visiting Syria to participate in the 62nd Damascus International Fair.

According to the so-called Ministry of Foreign Affairs of occupied Abkhazia, the “delegation” is led by the so-called Foreign Minister Oleg Bartsits and includes the so-called “Minister of Economy” Teimuraz Mikhvabia, the so-called “Minister of Culture” Daur Kove, and other officials.

The so-called ministry stated that the “delegation” arrived in Damascus at the invitation of the Syrian government and President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The 62nd Damascus International Fair, being held for the first time in six years, will open on August 27.

For reference, the so-called Foreign Minister of occupied Abkhazia, Oleg Bartsits, also visited Damascus in June, where he met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asad Hasan al-Shaibani.

On June 18 of this year, the Parliament’s press center reported that Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, met with his Turkish counterpart, Fuat Oktay. According to the press center, “Nikoloz Samkharadze requested Fuat Oktay’s assistance with the new Syrian government to ensure that Syria revokes its recognition of the so-called independence of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.”

Similar appeals to the Syrian authorities were made by representatives of Georgia’s opposition, as well as by U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson. No official statement has been issued by Damascus regarding its position.

Georgia and its international partners consider Abkhazia and Tskhinvali to be territories occupied by the Russian Federation. Their “independence” has been recognized only by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, and Nauru.

The Syrian Arab Republic recognized the “independence” of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali in 2018, after which Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Damascus. In 2020, a so-called Abkhaz “embassy” was opened in the Syrian capital.

Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power in December 2024, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Since then, the Syrian authorities have restored partnership relations with the West. Al-Sharaa, in particular, has held meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.