SOUKHUM, November 18. /TASS/. Armed individuals are preventing employees of the Cabinet of Ministers of Abkhazia from accessing their workplaces, the republic’s presidential press office reported.

“Armed individuals are preventing employees of the (Abkhaz) Cabinet of Ministers from accessing their workplaces. According to available information, the building of the Cabinet of Ministers located in the city of Sukhum, at 21 Lakoba Street, is also blocked by the opposition,” the agency said.

Early on November 18, armed individuals prevented ministry employees from going to their workplaces, the presidential press center wrote, citing Acting Abkhazian Culture Minister Dinara Smyr.

At the same time, the administrative building of the Cabinet of Ministers, located at 9 Zvanba Street, continues to operate as usual, the TASS correspondent reports. This building houses the Ministry of Justice of Abkhazia, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education, the Disability Fund, the Pension Fund and the Road Fund, as well as the Apsnypress news agency and several newspapers Republicans.

On November 15, the Abkhazian parliament was supposed to consider the ratification of the agreement with Russia on the implementation of investment projects in Abkhazia by Russian legal entities, but the session was canceled after lawmakers failed to managed to agree on the agenda. The opposition, for its part, demanded that this issue be completely removed from the agenda. Later, the opposition demanded the resignation of President Aslan Bjania. However, Bjania refused to step down and called on the population not to give in to provocations.

Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russia did not interfere in the internal processes of Abkhazia and hoped that the situation would be resolved peacefully. The ministry warned Russian nationals against traveling to Abkhazia. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of Parliament) Konstantin Kosachev told TASS that Russia supports the constitutional order in this friendly country and stressed that Russia has never supported coups.