Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia
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აფხაზეთის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა |
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| Autonomous Republic within Georgia | |
Government coat of arms |
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| National languages | Abkhazian , Georgian |
| ethnicities | According to the 2011 census: Abkhazians (50.7%) Georgians (19.3%) Armenians (17.3%) Russians (9.2%) |
| Religions |
Orthodox (60%) Muslims (16%) Other / non-denominational (24%) |
| Capital |
Sukhumi (de jure) Tbilisi (de facto) |
| Biggest cities | Sukhumi (65,000) Gagra (15,700) |
| Status within Georgia | Autonomous Republic |
| surface | 8,600 km 2 |
| Total population | 240,705 (2011) |
| Population density | 28 people / km 2 |
| governor | Giorgi Baramia |
| website | abkhazia.gov.ge |
The Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia ( Abkhazian Аҧсны Автономтә Республика , Georgian აფხაზეთის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ) is an autonomous republic within Georgia and extends over the region of Abkhazia . De facto, however, state authority in Abkhazia has been exercised since 1994 by the Republic of Abkhazia , which is independent of Georgia . While some states, including Russia , Syria , Nauru , Nicaragua and Venezuela , have recognized the Republic of Abkhazia, the Georgian government in exile of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia is still recognized by the majority of the international community as the legitimate government in Abkhazia.
history
After the collapse of the Soviet Union , Georgia became an independent state again in 1991. In the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia , however, efforts were made to break away from Georgia and state independence was proclaimed. There had already been conflicts between Georgia and Abkhazia or Ossetians there in the past .
The very national policy of the first Georgian President Swiad Gamsachurdia , which rejected autonomy rights and which was also associated with the slogan “Georgia for Georgians”, further exacerbated the situation in both regions.
In the case of Abkhazia there was a bloody civil war between Abkhaz independence fighters and the Georgian army from 1992 to 1993 . The war initially claimed heavy casualties on both sides, but when the Abkhazians began to win, serious crimes and ethnic cleansing of the Georgian civilian population in the region took place, culminating in the 1993 Sukhumi massacre . Crimes against the Abkhaz population also occurred on the Georgian side. After the de facto victory of the Abkhaz separatists, 250,000 Georgians had to flee in Abkhazia, and only a small number have returned since then. Abkhazia had been de facto independent since 1994, even if this was not recognized by any state in the world at the time and Georgia continued to regard the region as its own territory.
From 2006 to 2008 the seat of the government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia was in Chchalta in the Kodori Valley in Upper Abkhazia . Under Mikheil Saakashvili , Georgia had regained control of the part of Upper Abkhazia as part of a military operation. The Georgian government now controlled part of Abkhazia again. As a result of the Caucasus War in 2008 , Georgia lost control of this region again, and the seat of the government in exile has been in Tbilisi again . Since 2008, 5 states have recognized the independence of Abkhazia.
Web links
- abkhazia.gov.ge - Official website (Georgian, Abkhazian, Russian, English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/print.php?act=fresh&id=188
- ↑ http://www.bu.edu/iscip/vol4/Khutsishvili.html
- ↑ http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1995/Georgia2.htm#P117_4464
- ↑ http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/26795
- ↑ Svetlana Mikhailovna Chervonnaia: Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia and the Russian Shadow , Gothic Image Publications 1994. No page number.
- ↑ Birgitte Refslund Sørensen / Marc Vincent: Caught Between Borders: Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced , Pluto Press 2001, pp. 234-235. ISBN 0-7453-1818-5 .