OREANDA-NEWS The government of Abkhazia has paid for the commercial flow of electricity from Russia for the coming week until November 29, Acting Minister of Energy and Transport Dzhansukh Nanba said at a meeting in the Cabinet of Ministers on Friday.

"We have paid for the commercial transfer until next Friday. We are consolidating all available opportunities - both budgetary and extra-budgetary - and doing everything necessary to ensure that our population does not leave without electricity," said Nanba.

Acting Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Vladimir Delba, in turn, said that 360 million rubles were allocated to support the energy industry in 2024. "Another 200 million rubles of targeted targeted funds of Russian financial assistance can be added to this amount. Total: 560 million rubles, of which 285 million rubles were allocated to pay for commercial flow," he said.

Delba noted that for the fourth month the government has been providing replacement of Russian financial assistance for the payment of salaries to public sector employees. "The volume of these expenses has amounted to 398 million rubles to date," he said.

On November 20, Acting President of Abkhazia Badra Gunba instructed the government to find funds to further pay for electricity supplies from Russia, the flow from the Russian Federation was paid until November 22. Since November 1, Abkhazia has been purchasing electricity from Inter RAO due to energy shortages.

On September 4, Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba announced that Russia had partially suspended financial assistance to Abkhazia since September 1. The termination of co-financing of salaries affected doctors, teachers, cultural and sports workers and some other state employees. According to the minister, this was due to Abkhazia's failure to fulfill its obligations to Moscow.

He explained that in accordance with the Russian-Abkhazian agreement on the program of socio-economic development of Abkhazia for 2022-2025, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia may partially or completely suspend financial assistance to the republic if Sukhumi does not comply with the provisions of the agreement concerning the harmonization of legislation of the two countries.

At that time, the government of Abkhazia promised to find funds and fulfill obligations to pay salaries to state employees, despite a reduction in part of the financing.