Sergey Shamba
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Sergey Shamba is the foreign minister of the de facto independent, yet internationally unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia since December 15 2004. He was previously foreign minister from 1997 until June 2004. He served under seven Prime Ministers in that period, despite being politically opposed to the government of President Vladislav Ardzinba.
Shamba has been in politics since the age of 24, and has been heavily involved in Abkhazia's struggle for independence. Before becoming foreign minister, he served as head of the Council of Ministers of Abkhazia and as head of the Abkhazian People's Front, a leading opposition movement around the time of the Georgian-Abkhaz war.
Throughout his seven years as foreign minister, it often fell to Shamba to defend Abkhazia's separation from Georgia in the international media. He has been a strong supporter of Abkhazian independence, and has flatly opposed any attempts at reunification with Georgia. Though he has headed several Abkhaz delegations to United Nations-sponsored talks with Georgia, Abkhazia failed to receive any international recognition during his term.
As foreign minister, Shamba also dealt with several leaders of non-government organizations, meeting, among others, International Red Crescent Organization president Jean Michel Corbot. He succeeded in gaining USAID assistance for several reconstruction projects in Sukhumi.
On June 14, 2004, Shamba resigned as foreign minister, citing a number of reasons, such as the murder, five days before, of fellow opposition leader Garri Aiba and the upcoming presidential elecctions. After his resignation, he openly called for the entire government to stand aside.
Shamba was one of the favorites to receive the nomination of the newly merged Amtsakhara/United Abkhazia opposition movement at the October 2004 presidential elections. However, on July 20, 2004, the movements named former prime minister Sergei Bagapsh as their joint candidate. Shamba still participated in the election, coming in third place with 9.9% of the vote. New elections must be held, however, because of a dispute between the first and second place finishers, former Prime Ministers Sergei Bagapsh and Raul Khadjimba, who later agreed to run together on a national unity ticket. Shamba, meanwhile, was reappointed foreign minister.
| Preceded by: Konstantin Ozgan | Foreign Minister of Abkhazia 1997–2004 | Succeeded by: Gueorgui Otyrba |
| Preceded by: Igor Akhba | Foreign Minister of Abkhazia 2004–present | Succeeded by: Incumbent |