Members of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the WAC met on October 16 to discuss the interim results and outline the Congress’s work plan for the near future.
Said Bargandzhia
The interim results of the work of the WAC, as well as plans for the future, including a plan in the framework of international activities, were discussed by members of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the World Abaza Congress at a meeting on Wednesday, October 16.
The meeting was attended by Mussa Ekzekov, Natalie Lazba, Beslan Dbar, Inar Gitsba, Viacheslav Chirikba and Sharaf Marshan.
Mussa Ekzekov, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the WAC, greeted the participants in the meeting and passed the floor to Executive Secretary of the Congress Inar Gitsba. He, in the first place, noted that most members of the Presidium are present at the meeting, “therefore, the quorum has taken place.”
The Executive Secretary of the WAC recalled the current Congress activities.
“WAC is actively involved in the search for representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza family living around the world, as well as their inclusion in the Congress. To achieve these goals, local and regional councils are created. They are established by active residents, representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza ethnic group in the respective regions,” said Gitsba.
He provided information on open and planned for opening councils. To date, seven regional councils have already been created (in the KBR, KChR, Abkhazia, Turkey, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg - ed.), work is underway to create regional councils in Jordan. According to Inar Gitsba, it is also planned to open regional councils in the UK, Germany, Syria and other countries of residence of the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora.
“Along with regional councils, councils of local branches have also been opened in [several] towns of Abkhazia (Tkuarchal, Ochamchira, Gudauta) and Turkey (Istanbul, Inegel, Izmit, Eskisehir, Bilejik, Bursa and Sakarya). Councils will open in all regions of Abkhazia. Today, there are already 10 of them,” said the Executive Secretary of the WAC.
Inar Gitsba briefly spoke about the international activities of the Congress. In the context of achieving one of the main goals of the WAC - to unite representatives of the Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora around the world - the delegation of the Congress makes working visits to the countries of residence of the Diaspora: these are Turkey, Jordan, Egypt. Trips to the Netherlands, Syria and Germany are also planned.
Mussa Ekzekov, continuing the topic, added that the WAC in its international activities often consults with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are consulting with the Russian Foreign Ministry. Given their experience, we consult on what we need to pay attention to, what to emphasize. We interact with each other, and it brings real results. In general, our (WAC) international activity carries many functions,” said the Chairman of the WAC.
Member of the Presidium, Viacheslav Chirikba, in turn, praised the international activities of the WAC, noting the importance of trips to the countries of residence of the Abkhaz-Abaza ethnic group.
“I am very happy to follow the international activities of the Congress. It is very good that the WAC becomes a “bridge” that allows you to live chat with our compatriots. I have lived in Europe for many years, and, based on my experience, I propose to add Switzerland and Belgium to the list of countries to be visited by the WAC. A large Abkhaz-Abaza Diaspora also lives there,” Chirikba suggested.
The issues of membership fees were voiced at the meeting by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mikhail Kalinkin.
“WAC has already registered more than a thousand members, a register is being maintained. The work is set and adjusted. The contribution from each member is 100 rubles per year. You can pay a membership fee on the website of the World Abaza Congress. At this stage, so far only for users in the Russian Federation. Contributions are being collected, 30 percent has already been collected,” Mikhail Kalinkin said.
On the issue of the WAC membership, Mussa Ekzekov noted that today “ordinary people are actively joining Congress and paying membership dues, but big business is in no hurry.”
“We must work more efficiently, we must earn our credibility. We are working and we will find some formula that would lead big business to Congress projects,” he said.
On October 17, another meeting is planned - members of the Supreme Council of the World Abaza Congress.
Meetings of the Supreme Council of the World Abaza Congress to summarize and discuss plans are held regularly. The previous meeting of the Supreme Council members took place in June 2019.
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