At a briefing in Sokhumi on July 4, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said Russia is pursuing a purposeful development policy for [the separatist] Abkhazia. The Russian delegation arrived in Abkhazia on a working visit to inspect facilities being built under the Russian-financed investment program for the development of the de-facto republic.

"For Vladimir Putin and for the government of the Russian Federation, the development of [the separatist] Abkhazia is an issue that is constantly on the agenda, under control. This is a purposeful policy carried out in recent years," the minister said.

According to Reshetnikov, the primary goals of implementing the investment program to promote the socio-economic development of Abkhazia are to improve the living conditions of the republic's population and create high-quality recreation for Russian tourists.

"It is extremely important that there is a stable energy supply here, and it is also very important that there are normal treatment facilities and so on. This is a set of measures that the republic implements and builds with the support of the federal budget," the minister noted.

Reshetnikov also noted that 58% of the budget is provided by Abkhazia independently, 42% - subsidies from the Russian budget.