Abkhazia conflict

Abkhazia conflict
Part of Dissolution of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet conflicts

Half-destroyed Sukhumi. The Government House of Abkhazia is visible in the background. 2006
Date18 March 1989 – present
Location
Abkhazia, Georgia[1]
Status Ongoing; frozen conflict
Belligerents
 Abkhaz ASSR (before 1992)
 Abkhazia (after 1992)
CMPC (1992–1993)
Russia /  Russia		  Georgian SSR (before 1990)
Georgia (country) / Georgia (country) Georgia (after 1990)
Commanders and leaders
Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist RepublicAbkhazia Vladislav Ardzinba
(1990–2005)
Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh
(2005–11)
Abkhazia Alexander Ankvab
(2011–14)
Abkhazia Raul Khajimba
(2014–20)
Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania
(2020–present)
Shamil Basayev
(1992–1993)
Sultan Sosnaliyev
(1992–1993)
Musa Shanibov
(1992–1993)
Russia / Russia Boris Yeltsin
(1991–1999)
Russia Dmitry Medvedev
(2008–2012)
Russia Vladimir Putin
(2000–2008, 2012–present)		 Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic Givi Gumbaridze
(1989–1990)
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
(1990–92)
Eduard Shevardnadze
(1992–2003)
Georgia (country) Mikheil Saakashvili
(2004–13)
Georgia (country) Giorgi Margvelashvili
(2013–18)
Georgia (country) Salome Zourabichvili
(2018–present)
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The Abkhazia conflict is a territorial dispute over Abkhazia, a region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea in the South Caucasus, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The conflict involves Georgia, the Russian Federation and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, which is internationally recognised only by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria; Georgia and all other United Nations members consider Abkhazia a sovereign territory of Georgia.[2][3][4][5] However, as of 2023, Georgia lacks de facto control over the territory.

The beginning of the conflict dates back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991; however, the dispute can be traced to 1918—1919 Sochi conflict, which involved a territorial conflict over Sukhumi okrug (which corresponds to the Abkhazian region) between the Georgian Democratic Republic, White Russia and the Russian SFSR. Since 1989, the conflict has involved several wars: the 1992—1993 War in Abkhazia, the 1998 War in Abkhazia and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.

The conflict, one of the bloodiest in the post-Soviet era, remains unresolved. The Georgian government has offered substantial autonomy to Abkhazia several times. However, both the Abkhaz government and the opposition in Abkhazia refuse any form of union with Georgia. Abkhaz regard their independence as the result of a war of liberation from Georgia, while Georgians believe that historically Abkhazia has always formed part of Georgia.[6] Georgians formed the single largest ethnic group in pre-1993 Abkhazia, with a 45.7% plurality as of 1989. During the war the Abkhaz separatist side carried out an ethnic cleansing campaign which resulted in the expulsion of up to 250,000[7] and in the killing of more than 5,000 ethnic Georgians.[8] The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conventions of Lisbon, Budapest and Istanbul have officially recognized the ethnic cleansing of Georgians,[9] which UN General Assembly Resolution GA/10708 also mentions.[10] The UN Security Council has passed a series of resolutions in which it appeals for a cease-fire.[11]

  1. ^ "Russian troops withdraw from Georgian town". BBC News. 18 October 2010.
  2. ^ Olga Oliker, Thomas S. Szayna. Faultlines of Conflict in Central Asia and the South Caucasus: Implications for the U.S. Army. Rand Corporation, 2003, ISBN 978-0-8330-3260-7.
  3. ^ Clogg, Rachel (January 2001). "Abkhazia: ten years on". Conciliation Resources. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. ^ Emmanuel Karagiannis. Energy and Security in the Caucasus. Routledge, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7007-1481-0.
  5. ^ Parfitt, Tom (6 Aug 2007). "Georgia up in arms over Olympic cash". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 Feb 2023.
  6. ^ "The staff of the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia laid a wreath at the memorial in the Park of Glory on the Memorial Day of Fatherland Defenders". mfaapsny.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  7. ^ 1993 Human Rights Report: Georgia. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. US State Department. January 31, 1994. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015.
  8. ^ Gamakharia, Jemal (2015). INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY TO BRING A VERDICT ON THE TRAGEDY OF ABKHAZIA/GEORGIA (PDF). Khvicha Kardava. p. 7. ISBN 978-9941-461-12-5. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  9. ^ Resolution of the OSCE Budapest Summit Archived 2017-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 6 December 1994
  10. ^ "GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING RIGHT OF RETURN BY REFUGEES". un.org. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  11. ^ Bruno Coppieters; Alekseĭ Zverev; Dmitriĭ Trenin (1998). Commonwealth and Independence in Post-Soviet Eurasia Commonwealth and Independence in Post-Soviet Eurasia. Portland, OR: F. Cass. p. 61. ISBN 0714648817.