Stanislav Lakoba, secretary of breakaway Abkhazia’s national security council, said he had filed for resignation because of his disagreement with the leadership over law on citizenship and “other issues” which he did not specify, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported on August 18.

On July 31 the breakaway region’s Parliament passed amendment to the law making thousands of ethnic Georgians living in Gali district eligible for the Abkhaz citizenship. The move triggered wave of protest among opposition groups forcing the Parliament to revoke its decision on August 6; Abkhaz leader Sergey Bagapsh, who was in favor of the proposal, agreed to return the bill for further “review” in the legislative body. The opposition claims that Bagapsh tried to endorse the proposal in an attempt to capitalize on votes of Gali residents in the presidential elections planned for later this year.

It is the second high-profile resignation in the breakaway region’s government after Raul Khajimba, the vice-president and Bagapsh’s long-time rival, quit the post in late May.

Lakoba served on the post of the region’s national security council secretary since 2005.

He said that he had taken decision to resign some time ago, but did not want to quit the post ahead of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to the region on September 12.