The other day I found an anecdote of 1995 in my archive:
«Stalin got up from his grave and came to Psou and saw APCs and a thorny wire there.  
- What is it? – he asked the Russian  border guard. Did   Turkey invade Abkhazia and we have to build a border? - No, - answers the border guard. We ourselves fenced off Abkhazia because it does not want to join Georgia.
– Hm, this is stupid, - said Stalin. – Better to add both. To build socialism   with a human face in Abkhazia and in Georgia capitalism with  human face. Then  to make  up from these faces two-headed female- eagle and to marry it with a Russian eagle.”

         This anecdote reflected the reality of those years, when Boris Eltsin was in power and insisted on Georgia’s territorial integrity and when negotiations were held on the conditions of how Abkhazia could coexist with Georgia within one state. And of course, the memory of USSR imperial power  was fresh then, that is why the anecdote united all these topics into one succulent mockery.
  
         If to consider the anecdote and the time it appeared as a reference point, then for the last sixteen years (for a history it is a funny time) Abkhazia succeeded a lot - its independence has been recognized by four UN members including a powerful neighbor, Russia, the country is developing in the democratic way, it has opposition, freedom of speech, no political prisoners. The level of welfare considerably increased and the middle class is strengthening. Comparing to many other republics of a former USSR, our achievements look not bad. There is nothing to say about Tajikistan, but even from Latvia   90% of man able to work left for  the EU and the USA  to earn money, and our figures for this are much lower. By the way, people from Portugal a pair of years ago started going to work at construction activities to its previous colony. People come to work in Abkhazia not only from post soviet countries but also from Africa and China. At the time of the long term world crisis, which no one knows when will be over, this situation is not very bad.

         It does not mean that all is perfect in our place, there are a lot of lacks, many ruins yet, and in the corruption level we are not the last, the level of criminality does not decrease, high rate of narcomania, not all has enough bread with butter, but it makes no sense to close eyes on the country’s development. With closed eyes one may drive not the right way at all. Better soberly estimate accomplishments and lacks of your own state - it is the most profitable springboard to a successful future.
  
         Yesterday a congress of civil union “Apsadgil” took place; the opposition is not dozing and searches new forms of organization. It is good and does not cause objections, as it must be. But the subject, honestly speaking, disappoints and has a flavor of evident populism. To criticize constantly the authorities in the field of external politics is naive. Any sensible government would lead the same line for the strategic partnership with Russia   and sign the same agreements, well, maybe with small different versions. One would like to hear at least once from a present opposition a capacious analysis of the economic situation of the country (as similar attempts were undertaken by Anatoly Otyrba), thoughts on possible perspectives of development, fresh ideas and observations.