Sukhum/Agency Caucasus – The reason behind a recent escalation of tension in the Abkhazian region of Gal as a place that hosts a large Georgian population is, strangely enough, the rising price of hazelnuts in the capital city of Abkhazia.
With a recent rise in the hazelnut prices on the market of Sukhum, Abkhazia’s capital, the Gal producers of hazelnut had to sell their products to customers in Sukhum, instead of Georgia. This created a tendency towards violence on the part of Georgian security forces, situated along the border between the two countries, to earn more money, according to Abkhazian officials.
News of a robbery in Gal of a bus full of hazelnut workers placed further emphasis on recent events of seizure. Abkhazian representative of Gal said that three masked people stopped the bus while it was set on its way to Gal from the village of Saberio and fled through the Ingur River to Georgia after they stole money, other valuable things and even some hazelnuts.
Abkhazian officials think that the Georgian security forces on duty in Zugdidi area helped the robbers flee to , because they probably did not want the hazelnut bus to arrive in Sukhum. ABKHZG/ÖZ/FT
