Representatives of the Abkhaz Diaspora in Turkey donated humanitarian aid - winter clothes to needy families in Abkhazia and the fraternal republics of the North Caucasus.

Humanitarian aid from representatives of the Abkhaz Diaspora in Turkey, namely 1,200 sets of winter clothes for children and adults, arrived in Abkhazia from the Turkish city of Bartin. The Executive Secretary of the Congress, Inar Gitsba, told the WAC web information portal about this.

The idea of the action came from Akhmet Khapat, a member of the Supreme Council of the WAC, and he presented it to the Congress.

«Congress has been very enthusiastic in supporting this project. After completing the cargo in Turkey, we addressed letters to the leadership of Abkhazia recognizing it as humanitarian aid. We also held a series of consultations with the leaders of public organizations dealing with issues of support for families in need in order to distribute the new clothes to the destination, » Gitsba said.

He believes that such assistance is important not only in itself. At the same time, it represents the participation of the Diaspora in socially significant projects in the historic homeland and «creates additional bridges to strengthen the fraternal bonds,» allowing representatives of the Abkhaz ethnic group outside Abkhazia to feel themselves «involved in life processes in their native land».

According to the WAC Executive Secretary, after sorting the received cargo, representatives of the Congress, together with charitable organizations, will compile lists of needy families to whom clothing sets will be handed over. Some things will be sent to those in need in the fraternal republics of the North Caucasus.

The initiator of the action, member of the Supreme Council of the WAC, Akhmet Khapat, told the information portal that such assistance to the brothers in Abkhazia has been provided for many years. This year, the issue of assistance was discussed with the Plenipotentiary Representative Vadim Kharaziya and with members of the Supreme Council of the WAC.

«We have addressed a request to large textile companies in Turkey, for which we are very grateful. The humanitarian aid was donated to our people by Turkish producers of Turkish, Kurdish, Abkhazian and Circassian ethnic origin with a view to distributing it among needy families with the participation of the Congress,» said Khapat.

According to him, out of 1,200 sets of clothes, 400 are for children, 250 are for men and 550 are for women. All things are brand new, manufacturers have provided them directly from their textile factories.

«With a request for assistance, we addressed directly the manufacturers in person or by phone, without insisting on a specific type of product and its quantity. Manufacturers independently determined the type and quantity of things that were donated. We traveled to firms and collected clothes that they put off for us. Then everything was carefully packed and sent to Abkhazia,» Khapat explained.

A member of the High Council believes that such actions increase the solidarity of people, regardless of their religion, language or nationality. They are also important «from the point of view of complicity in solving each other’s problems, bringing together future generations, increasing the significance of human feelings and promoting peace in Abkhazia».

The humanitarian cargo was shipped to Abkhazia by sea with the assistance of the Sukhum cargo company operating in the city of Istanbul.

«Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the head of the Sukhum Freight Company, Metin Uzun, and to Captain Ismet, for their help,» Khapat thanked the participants of the action.

A member of the High Council also said that in the near future, together with the Federation of Abkhaz Cultural Centers in Turkey, it is planned to develop a package to provide such assistance, that is definitely not the last one.