And ever since then I try to speak to both Georgians and Abkhazians. It is impossible to hate each other; we have made enough mistakes without adding that one as well! We should forgive each other and ourselves too. And one more thing: there has to be the will on both sides to achieve more trust and good relations. One party alone cannot solve anything.

I think these borders [between Abkhazia and Georgia] should be opened so that people can communicate with each other. Dialogue comes first, that can lead to trust...Read more

Teah, 30 years

Although I’m a bit ill and I’m a heartbroken woman, I’m still pretty active. It’s important that I’m in favour of reconciliation with the Abkhazians. I believe that some day we’ll be reconciled. I want to state that. We’ll be reconciled. I get the news from over there as well. Georgians and Abkhazians will reconcile with one another. Someone else is interfering here; another enemy is hissing more than we do. We’ll find a common language; we will. Some more work should be carried out. Just a little more and there will be reconciliation.

We should return. There’s no other way for us and we will return. Read more

Lela, 68 years

I do not know what affected our [Georgian-Abkhazian] attitudes. Maybe a third party was involved in this and in this case it was Russia. I hope we will return, but sometimes it seems to me that that will never happen. In fact relationships between people have not settled down, but if that does happen maybe we will return. It’s important for ordinary people to meet, not those who are above them. In fact there’s no hatred towards each other any more. Even my mother-in-law who lost her husband does not rage against the Abkhazians. If you tell her that she can return home she’ll be the first to run there!

We’re not hunting for the guilty ones. No, why should we search for them? It was a war. It was simply a war, people died on both sides. We should forgive each other. Otherwise living together will not be possible. There is no other way out.
We do not have a house in Sukhumi, but there is some land. I could build a hut and live there... Read more

Nana, 37 years

No one should think that Abkhazians were happy with this conflict and all this happened to us because they were happy with it. Ask the other party too. Ask Abkhazians as well… They haven’t suffered any less than we have and they haven’t been damaged less either… The war has damaged everyone. It depends on how one thinks, how one perceives, who can forgive and who has enough will and intelligence to forgive theses crimes - crimes committed against Abkhazians, against Georgians living in Abkhazia, and more or less against Russians as well
It would be good if we had a dialogue. It would be good if we could somehow meet one another. I don’t mean the way it is arranged now – when they open the door and we close it, and the other way round, when we open the way and they close it. Let people go to Abkhazia and stay there if they want. I just can’t understand what’s wrong with that. Let people from Abkhazia come and stay here. What‘s wrong with that? They shouldn’t block such relationships between people, no matter whether they are Georgians or Abkhazians, inhabitants of Georgia or those of Abkhazia. Read more

Temuri, 55 years

Our common ancestors fought one and the same enemies. They had similar traditions. They worshipped the same God. But look what happened in the end… But what can you do, life goes on. One thing is important - we need to have mutual understanding. I hope we’ll live a better life under the peaceful sky from now on. Read more

Dato, 27 years

There was so much bloodshed. [Reconciliation] doesn’t happen overnight, does it? The thing is, you should trust in [reconciliation] policies as well. I have this trust. Things move in that direction – towards reconciliation. Political reconciliation does not necessarily mean spiritual reconciliation. And it takes time for a physically ruined Ossetian man, a friend of mine, or a Georgian man whose son was killed by Ossetians or vice versa. That takes time and tests you to the limit. But we need to mourn the dead as well, we need to make toasts by their graves for their souls to be pardonned . I hope so much for this to happen [pauses]. Read more

Tamazi, 55 years

I still think that the government controls the NGOs. It’s my personal opinion. For example, the document on the integration of the IDP was not prepared with the participation of the IDP. That law was written for them without their involvement. When the law on the IDP is written, their opinions should be taken into account. But there, everything was done as the government wanted.

I attended one meeting – I was invited – where such a document was being drawn up. The person in charge admitted that it didn’t matter what we did, that the government wanted it that way. I said sarcastically: long live his government and the NGOs. In my opinion the NGOs should be a support for me and the government should be an even stronger support.

Only one side – the Georgian side - does all the talking. The war really was between this side and that [Abkhazian] side. Well, the Abkhazian NGOs might really be extremely weak, but they still exist. Those NGOs should be interested in the same [conflict resolution]. Otherwise, having information from only one side doesn’t make any sense. On the contrary, they should act as mediators. Read more

Mzia, 53 years