In the last days of the outgoing 2019, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the WAC Mussa Ekzekov gave an interview to the Congress information portal, in which he summed up the organization’s work for the year.

– Mussa Khabalevich, in your recent speech at the WAC press conference, you rated the work of the Congress team as “good”.  What, in your opinion, was not enough to evaluate it as “excellent”?

– The Congress has just begun implementing its plans, so it's too early to talk about excellent results.  I believe that the work of the Congress team can be appreciated only when we know how each Abkhaz and Abaza family lives, and we will jointly solve problems that will improve the standard of living of the population as a whole.

Mussa Ekzekov: “Preservation of my people has worried me since childhood”

– Are any changes planned - for example, in the structure of the Congress or in the approach to work - in the upcoming 2020?

– The Congress team is a constantly evolving organism, which must timely meet the urgent tasks of the development of the people.  Continuous work is underway to optimize all available resources to achieve the most effective results.  Our approach to work will remain unchanged, it is based on the ANO “Alashara” model, which we have been successfully implementing for seven years in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and which covers almost all areas of the society.

– How do you rate the work of the Congress information portal?  How does the portal cope with its goals and objectives?

– The information portal is an integral part of the toolkit and the Congress team, therefore, the overall assessment of the entire team as “good” applies to the information portal as well.  In modern realities, the work of the information portal is a key one in terms of disseminating information about the goals and objectives of the Congress and building a “bridge of communication” with representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza people around the world.  The potential of the information portal is unlimited, we will surely implement it progressively and increase the presence of useful information about our people in different languages ​​online.

– In 2019, new Regional offices and Councils of local branches of the WAC were opened.  Some of them emerged at the beginning of the year and were able to prove themselves during this time.  How do you rate their work?

– In terms of the number of Councils of local branches of the Congress in the Republic of Abkhazia, we are behind the approved plan, but I am convinced that in 2020 this situation will be improved.  Now we can distinguish the local branch in the hero town of Gudauta, where active residents are implementing, one after one, socially useful projects.  Our like-minded people from this town very quickly understood the principle of the Congress, the project implementation model.  And, thanks to their sincere love for their place of residence, they manage to effectively create for the good of the society.

– What successes have been achieved in the development and popularization of the Abkhaz and Abaza languages?

– Together with experts, we developed and released a number of methodological manuals on the study of the Abaza language, video tutorials, translated popular animated films, wrote new songs, and the film is being shot in the Abaza language.  During the year, a joint program was developed with the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia for the development of the language, and for 2020-2026, a new program for the preservation and development of the language was developed by Abaza and Abkhaz linguists.  We will continue to pay special attention to the development of our native language.

– How do you assess the international activities of the Congress?

The WAC press center informed about the delegation’s trip to Europe

– Over the past 2019, we have fully complied with the approved plan in terms of international cooperation with representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora.  The opening of Regional offices in the countries where our brothers and sisters are present will remain one of the priorities in the new year 2020.

– Summing up the work of the WAC over the past year, what would be the most important success of the team?

– For 2019, many socially useful activities and charity events were implemented, it is difficult to single out one of them.  Of course, this is the first sports and cultural festival “Abaza” in the Republic of Abkhazia, and the celebration of the “Day of Culture of the People of Abaza” and the “Day of State Symbols of the Republic of Abkhazia”, ​​and the creation of the Discussion club of the WAC as well as the opening of regional offices in the countries of the European Union, and many other things.

– What inspires you personally to work in the WAC?

– A deep love for my people, which for me is one big family.  It inspires a sense of responsibility for the fate of every person, every child, inspires the hopes of our ancestors, which must be brought to life, inspires the trust of the Almighty to engage in this special mission.  I am for the real revival of the Abaza ethnic group, for the inviolability of our culture and traditions, for the development of language, for the triumph of love and kindness.  For the bright future of Apsny and Russia.

– What would you like to wish the people of Abaza in the new year?

– My dear ones, people who are close to my heart, all who are united by the ethnic group of the Abaza! New Year is a family holiday, and let love, mutual understanding, health, peace and warmth reign in every house.  I wish everyone that in the coming 2020 we firmly and confidently, holding hands tightly, walk the path to our happiness!