So-called adviser to Abkhazia’s de facto president steps down after being accused of having talks with Alliance of Patriots of Georgia

Lasha Sakania, so-called adviser to the de facto president of Abkhazia, who is accused by the Abkhaz opposition of holding talks with representatives of the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia, is stepping down, - local media reports.

"Dear friends, in connection with the difficult situation created on August 18, 2020, I decided to voluntarily step down in order not to increase tensions in the society. I want to state that I have always defended and will defend the interests of our people and state," Sakania says in his statement posted wrote on Facebook.

Local media reports that the politician previously claimed that the visit of the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia was of a "purely humanitarian nature" and that they handed over a Virgin Mary icon to the Ilori Church.