Oleg Bartsits, the so-called foreign minister of occupied Abkhazia, dismissed Georgia’s aspirations for reunification as “utopian” in a recent interview with Russian media.

Responding to questions about the lack of a non-use-of-force agreement between Georgia and the Russian-occupied region, Bartsits claimed that “the Georgian leadership has not yet overcome the phantom pains” of losing Abkhazia.

“A significant part of the Georgian establishment still wants Abkhazia to return to Georgia. This is utopian,” Bartsits stated. He further suggested that while “some sensible politicians in Georgia already understand that Abkhazia will not return to their territory,” they refrain from saying so publicly.

The comments reflect the ongoing tensions between Tbilisi and the de facto authorities in Abkhazia, a region recognized internationally as part of Georgia but effectively controlled by Russia since the 2008 war.