Valery Arshba

Valeri Schalwowitsch Arschba ( Abkhaz Валери Аршба, Russian Валерий Шалвович Аршба; born October 4, 1949 in Tkvarcheli, Abkhaz ASSR, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union ) is an Abkhaz politician and former Vice President of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia.

Valeri Arschba studied from 1967 to 1972 at the Moscow State University, Industrial Engineering. After graduating, he returned to his hometown and worked in a local construction company. From 1973 to 1974 he did his military service in the Red Army, where he was stationed in Czechoslovakia. After that, he worked again in an economic operation. From 1975 he worked in the field of Industry and Transport of the newspaper Tkwartschelski Gornjak. From 1977 to 1979 he worked as a research associate of the Department of Economics of the Abkhazian Institute of Language, Literature and History. From 1979 he worked for the municipal department of the CPSU in Sukhumi and later the party structure of the Abkhazian ASSR.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Arschba worked as editor of the newspaper Respublika Abchasija. In 1992 he was in Abkhaz " War of Independence" against the troops of the Georgian central government in action. From 1993 to 1994 Arschba was the official representative of the Republic of Abkhazia in the Russian Republic of Adygea. In 1995, he was Vice President of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba under President. In the 2004 presidential election Arschba wanted to take first place, though his application withdrew before the ballot. After the election, he became head of the presidential administration under President Sergei Bagapsh newly elected.