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

"Armed individuals are preventing employees of the [Abkhazian] Cabinet of Ministers from entering their workplaces. According to available information, the building of the Cabinet of Ministers located in the city of Sukhum, Lakoba Street 21, is also blocked by the opposition," the agency said.

Early on November 18, armed individuals did not allow ministry employees to go to their workplace, the presidential press center wrote, quoting Abkhazia's acting Culture Minister Dinara Smyr.

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

On November 15, Abkhazia’s parliament was expected 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 the lawmakers failed to agree on its agenda. The opposition, meanwhile, demanded that the issue be removed from the agenda entirely. Later, the opposition demanded President Aslan Bzhania resign. However, Bzhania refused to step down and called on people not to yield to provocations.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia had not interfered in Abkhazia’s domestic processes and hoped that the situation would be settled peacefully. The ministry warned Russian nationals against traveling to Abkhazia. Deputy Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), Konstantin Kosachev, told TASS that Russia supports the constitutional order in the friendly country and stressed that Russia has never supported state coups.