Inal Batuvych Ardzinba (; ; ; born 26 July 1990) is an Abkhazian politician who was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia from November 2021 to May 2024.
Career Beginning in 2014, Ardzinba worked in the Presidential Administration of Russia, eventually becoming deputy of Vladislav Surkov, then an assistant to the President of the Russian Federation.
In 2016, Ardzinba played a prominent role in the Surkov leaks.Alya Shandra/Robert William Henry Seely: The Surkov Leaks The Inner Workings of Russia's Hybrid War in Ukraine The Surkov Leaks The Inner Workings of Russia's Hybrid War in Ukraine, researchgate.net July 2019. He advocates for the BRICS to play a leading role in international politics after Russia was expelled from the Group of Eight.Инал Ардзинба: БРИКС вместо «большой восьмерки», iz.ru 23 June 2014.
Abkhazia In January 2020, Ardzinba founded the Future of Abkhazia party.Инал Ардзинба возглавил платформу "Будущее Абхазии", news.rambler.ru 29 January 2020. Until then, he was considered to be close to the party Amtsakhara.Zaal Anjaparidze: Changes in the Separatist Abkhazian Government and Implications for Relations With Tbilisi, jamestown.org 15 June 2020. Shortly thereafter, Ardzinba supported then-opposition candidate Aslan Bzhania in the 2020 Abkhazian presidential election.
In 2021, President Aslan Bzhania appointed Ardzinba to be the foreign minister of Abkhazia.The president introduced the new Foreign Minister of Abkhazia to the team, abkhazworld.com 18 November 2021. His appointment was a surprise for many experts on the region.Inal Khashig: New foreign minister appointed in Abkhazia. What does it mean?, jam-news.net 18 November 2021. He is the youngest person to ever hold the office.Inal Ardzinba: Kremlin’s Man in Sokhumi?, civil.ge 24 November 2021. After he was appointed, Ardzinba stated that the deepening of cooperation with Russia was a priority for Abkhazia’s foreign policy.Zaal Anjaparidze: Abkhazia’s ‘President’ Floats Idea to Lift Real Estate Purchase Restrictions for Russian Citizens, jamestown.org 8 December 2021.
In January 2022, Ardzinba halted the EU's and UNDP's confidence-building COBERM program in Abkhazia.Sokhumi Targets EU/UNDP Program on Abkhaz-Georgian Dialogue, civil.ge 20 January 2022. In July 2022, he proposed moving the Geneva International Discussions "to another more neutral city" like Minsk or Istanbul.Anxious, Abkhazia Ponders Regional Security, civil.ge 23 July 2022.
Involvement in Ukraine As an official of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Ardzinba dealt with issues of interaction with Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.
In May 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine submitted to the Prosecutor General's Office materials on Ardzinba's involvement in terrorist activities on the territory of Ukraine. In November, the Prosecutor's Office of the Odesa region began an investigation in absentia against Ardzinba in connection with an attempt to change the state borders of Ukraine.
In November 2015, Ukraine put Ardzinba on the international wanted list for violating the country's constitutional order. This information was confirmed by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine David Sakvarelidze. In December 2015, he was accused by the Ukrainian authorities of trying to destabilize the situation in Bessarabia in southern Ukraine.
On 10 June 2016, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak announced that a criminal case was being conducted against Ardzinba in connection with his involvement in an attempt to create the Bessarabian People's Republic in the Odesa region of Ukraine – the formation of pro-Putin separatists similar to the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.
Personal life According to Yevgeny Yasin, former president of Abkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba is Inal Ardzinba's uncle.Екатерина Лазарева: Новое имя. О ком спорят Саакашвили и Захарова, ura.news 3 April 2016. Other members of the include Adgur Ardzinba and Dmitry Ardzinba (member of the People's Assembly).
See also List of foreign ministers in 2021
References
External links
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia (from the homepage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia) Inal Ardzinba – Roadmap to Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region