SUKHUM, November 18. /TASS/. Abkhazia’s President Aslan Bzhania has tasked the country’s Security Council with maintaining law and order in the republic, the presidential press service said.

"The head of state gave specific instructions to Security Council members to prevent illegal actions," it said after the first meeting of the Abkhazian Security Council meeting after the outbreak of protests.

According to the presidential press service, participants in the meeting, which was chaired by the president, discussed the current situation and how to stabilize it.

Situation in Abkhazia

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 upon 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 presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that relations with Abkhazia are among Russia’s priorities and called for the soonest normalization of the situation in that country. Deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, told TASS earlier that Russia supports the constitutional order in the friendly country and stressed that Russia has never supported state coups.