The Russian Foreign Ministry said on August 27 that it welcomed “successful holding” of presidential elections in Abkhazia in which the breakaway region’s vice president, Alexander Ankvab, became the third leader of the region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that these elections were “an important stage on the path of development of statehood and civil society in this friendly neighboring country.”

“We are disposed to continue large-scale work to strengthen wide-ranging Russian-Abkhazian relations in the interests of our peoples,” it said.