Georgian–Abkhazian conflict

Georgian–Abkhazian conflict
Date 1989–present Location Abkhazia, Georgia
Belligerents
Georgia	Abkhazia Russia1
1Involvement prior to 2008 disputed; discussed in the articles about the conflict, particularly here

History of Abkhazia
This article is part of a series
Early History of Abkhazia
Prehistoric settlement
Abkhazia in antiquity
Abkhazia from the 8th to the 19th century
Kingdom of Abkhazia
Abkhazian-Georgian Kingdom
Principality of Abkhazia
Abkhazia from the 19th century to 1921
Abkhazia within the Russian Empire
Abkhazia from 1917 to 1921
Soviet Abkhazia
Socialist Soviet Republic Abkhazia (1921-1931)
Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1931-1991)
Modern Abkhazia
Georgian-Abkhazian conflict
Abkhazia after the war
Abkhazia Portal

The Georgian–Abkhazian conflict refers to the ethnic conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians in Abkhazia, which is presently a de facto independent partially recognized republic. In a broader sense, the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict can be considered as part of a geopolitical conflict in the Caucasus region, intensified at the end of the 20th century in conjunction with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The conflict, one of the bloodiest in the post-Soviet area, remains unresolved. The Georgian government offered substantial autonomy to Abkhazia several times. However, both the Abkhaz separatist government and the opposition refuse any forms of union with Georgia. Abkhaz consider their independence to be a result of a war of liberation from Georgia, while Georgians believe that historically Abkhazia has always been part of Georgia. Georgians formed the single largest ethnic group in pre-war Abkhazia, with a 45.7% plurality as of 1989. Many accuse Eduard Shevardnadze’s government of the initiation of senseless hostilities, and then of ineffective conduct of the war and post-war diplomacy.^{[citation needed]} During the war, the Abkhaz separatist side carried out a full scale ethnic cleansing campaign which resulted in the expulsion of up to 250,000 ethnic Georgians and more than 15,000 killed. The ethnic cleansing of Georgians has been recognized officially by the OSCE conventions of Lisbon, Budapest and Istanbul (also mentioned in UN General Assembly Resolution GA/10708). The UN Security Council passed a series of resolutions in which it appeals for a cease-fire.

Events

Soviet era

In the Soviet era Abkhazia was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Abkhazian ASSR), an entity within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR)

Manifestations demanding secession from the Georgian SSR and inclusion into the RSFSR are reported to have taken place in April 1957, April 1967 and — especially vigorously — in May and September 1978 . In 1978, 130 representatives of the Abkhaz intelligentia signed a letter to the Soviet leadership, protesting against what they saw as Georgianization of Abkhazia.

War in Abkhazia

Main article: War in Abkhazia

The conflict involved a 13-month-long War in Abkhazia, beginning in August 1992, with Georgian government forces and a militia composed of ethnic Georgians who lived in Abkhazia on one side and Russian-backed separatist forces consisting of ethnic Abkhazians, Armenians and Russians who also lived in Abkhazia on the other side. The separatists were supported by the North Caucasian and Cossack militants and (unofficially) by Russian forces stationed in Gudauta. The conflict resulted in an agreement in Sochi to cease hostilities, however, this would not last.

Georgia–Russia relations

Internal conflicts in Georgia Georgian Civil War 1991-1992 War in South Ossetia 1992-1993 War in Abkhazia 2003 Rose revolution 2004 Adjara crisis 2006 Georgia-Russia crisis Gas pipeline explosions Ban of wines Kodori crisis Espionage controversy Deportation of Georgians 2007 Alleged air space violations Helicopter attack incident Missile incident Plane downing incident 2007 Russian ambassador controversy 2007 Georgian demonstrations 2008 War in South Ossetia 2008 Georgia-Russia crisis 2011 Georgian demonstrations

Resumption of hostilities

Main articles: War in Abkhazia (1998) and 2001 Kodori crisis

In April–May 1998, the conflict escalated once again in the Gali District when several hundred Abkhaz forces entered the villages still populated by Georgians to support the separatist-held parliamentary elections. Despite criticism from the opposition, Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia, refused to deploy troops against Abkhazia. A ceasefire was negotiated on May 20. The hostilities resulted in hundreds of casualties from both sides and an additional 20,000 Georgian refugees.

In September 2001, around 400 Chechen fighters and 80 Georgian guerrillas appeared in the Kodori Valley in extremely controversial conditions. The Chechen-Georgian paramilitaries advanced as far as Sukhumi, but finally were repelled by Abkhaz and Gudauta based Russian peacekeepers.

Saakashvili era

The new Georgian government of President Mikheil Saakashvili promised not to use force and to resolve the problem only by diplomacy and political talks.

While at a CIS summit it was decided to exclude any contact with separatists; the trans-border economic cooperation and transport between Abkhazia and Russia grows in scale, with Russia claiming that all this is a matter of private business, rather than state.^{[citation needed]} Georgia also decries the unlimited issuing of Russian passports in Abkhazia with subsequent payment of retirement pensions and other monetary benefits by Russia, which Georgia considers to be economic support of separatists by the Russian government.

In May 2006 the Coordinating Council of Georgia’s Government and Abkhaz separatists was convened for the first time since 2001. In late July the 2006 Kodori crisis erupted, resulting in the establishment of the de jure Government of Abkhazia in Kodori. For the first time after the war, this government is located in Abkhazia, and is headed by Malkhaz Akishbaia, Temur Mzhavia and Ada Marshania.

Currently, the Abkhaz side demands reparations from the Georgian side of $13 billion in US currency for damages in this conflict. The Georgian side dismisses these claims. On May 15, 2008 United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution recognising the right of all refugees (including victims of reported “ethnic cleansing”) to return to Abkhazia and their property rights. It "regretted" the attempts to alter pre-war demographic composition and called for the "rapid development of a timetable to ensure the prompt voluntary return of all refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes."

August 2008

Main articles: Battle of the Kodori Gorge and 2008 South Ossetia war

On August 10, 2008, the 2008 War in South Ossetia spread to Abkhazia, where separatist rebels and the Russian air force launched an all-out attack on Georgian forces. Abkhazia's pro-Moscow separatist President Sergei Bagapsh said that his troops had launched a major "military operation" to force Georgian troops out of the Kodori Gorge, which they still controlled. As a result of this attack, Georgian troops were driven out of Abkhazia entirely.

On August 26, 2008, the Russian Federation officially recognized both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.

After the war

Relations between Georgia and Abkhazia have remained tense after the war. Georgia has moved to increase Abkhazia's isolation by imposing a sea blockade of Abkhazia. During the opening ceremony of a new building of the Georgian Embassy in Kiev (Ukraine) in November 2009 Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili stated that residents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia could also use its facilities "I would like to assure you, my dear friends, that this is your home, as well, and here you will always be able to find support and understanding".

See also

• Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia
• Sukhumi Massacre
• Politics of Abkhazia
• Russian-Circassian War

Further reading

• Andersen, Andrew. "Russia Versus Georgia: One Undeclared War in the Caucasus."
• Blair, Heather "Ethnic Conflict as a Tool of Outside Influence: An Examination of Abkhazia and Kosovo.", 2007
• Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia, and the Russian Shadow. Gothic Image Publications, 1994.
• Goltz, Thomas. "Georgia Diary: A Chronicle of War and Political Chaos in the Post-Soviet Caucasus".M.E. Sharpe (2006). ISBN 0-756-1710-2
• Lynch, Dov. The Conflict in Abkhazia: Dilemmas in Russian 'Peacekeeping' Policy. Royal Institute of International Affairs, February 1998.
• MacFarlane, S., N. , “On the front lines in the near abroad: the CIS and the OSCE in Georgia’ s civil wars”, Third World Quarterly, Vol 18, No 3, pp 509– 525, 1997.
• Marshania, L., Tragedy of Abkhazia, Moscow, 1996
• McCallion, Amy Abkhazian Separatism
• Steele, Jon. "War Junkie: One Man`s Addiction to the Worst Places on Earth" Corgi (2002). ISBN 0-552-14984-5
• White Book of Abkhazia. 1992-1993 Documents, Materials, Evidences. Moscow, 1993.

External links

Media related to Georgian–Abkhazian conflict at Wikimedia Commons

• Accord issue on the Georgia Abkhazia peace process also includes chronology and key texts & agreements. (English)&(Russian)
• Absence of Will (2009) Documentary by Mamuka Kuparadze about the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-South Ossetian conflict including footage of 1990s
• Documented accounts of ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia (Russian)
• Documented accounts of ethnic cleansing of Abkhazians by Georgians (Russian)
• Video file, capture of Zhuili Shartava, Guram Gabiskiria, Raul Eshba, etc and their execution (right-click to open file)
• Interview with Shamil Basayev on Abkhazia
• Historische Hintergründe und politische Motive des abchasischen Separatismus in Georgien, 2005 (de) (PDF-Datei)
• "Abkhazia: An Open Wound in Georgia" by Dr. Andrew Andersen
• Government of Abkhazia (-in-exile)
• Exile Images - Thomas Morley: The forgotten refugees of Abkhazia
• http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_282.shtml#top
• http://web.archive.org/web/20091022131730/http://geocities.com/tato_nikoladze/separatism.html
• http://www.abkhazia-georgia.parliament.ge
• http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/data/gabkhazchro.htm
• The risk of history repeating, The Messenger, August 16, 2006
• Video Interview with Shamil Basaev during the battle for Gagra
• Why I Apologize To Abkhaz People by Ucha Nanuashvili, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center