Bashkiria and Abkhazia friendship symbol construction is nearing completion in Ufa

In Ufa, on the Belaya embankment, the construction of a colonnade symbolizing the friendship of the peoples of Bashkiria and Abkhazia is nearing completion. This colonnade is an exact copy of the one that has decorated the embankment in Sukhum for almost 80 years. It will open in August for Ufa's anniversary. The Head of Bashkiria, Radiy Khabirov, wrote this on social media.

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of our Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. But the roots of strong relations go deep into history. In the 1920s, when there was a terrible famine in the Volga region, our Abkhaz brothers helped our republic with food. During the Great Patriotic War, our soldiers improved their health in the Abkhaz sanatoriums, which were famous throughout the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, when the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict began, we were the ones helping. Echelons of oil products were sent there. Doctors from Bashkortostan operated on wounded defenders of independent Abkhazia. Abkhaz students, including future doctors, received their education in the republic's universities," wrote Radiy Khabirov.

The head of the republic noted that today, Bashkiria and Abkhazia interact in various areas—trade and entrepreneurship, agriculture, medicine, and tourism. He recalled that the republic began reviving the river fleet several years ago. Now, multi-deck ships call at Ufa annually, bringing hundreds of guests from other regions. The renovated river gates will become a striking landmark, a new pearl on the tourist map of Ufa.

Author: Roman Yakimchuk