76-573: (Redirected from Abkhazian ) [REDACTED] Look up abkhaz in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Abkhaz and Abkhazian may refer to: Something of, from, or related to Abkhazia , a de facto independent region with partial recognition as a sovereign state, otherwise recognized as part of Georgia Abkhaz people or Abkhazians , persons from Abkhazia or of Abkhaz descent Abkhaz language Abkhazian culture Abkhazian cuisine Abkhazi ,
152-561: A Russian-occupied territory , a position shared by most United Nations member states. The Russian name Абхазия ( Abkhaziya ) is adapted from the Georgian აფხაზეთი ( Apkhazeti ). Abkhazia's name in English ( / æ b ˈ k ɑː z i ə / ab- KAH -zee-ə or / æ b ˈ k eɪ z i ə / ab- KAY -zee-ə ) The Abkhaz name Apsny ( Abkhaz : Аԥсны , IPA [apʰsˈnɨ] )
228-606: A " treaty republic" associated with the Georgian SSR . In 1931, Joseph Stalin made it an autonomous republic ( Abkhaz ASSR ) within the Georgian SSR. Despite its nominal autonomy, it was subjected to strong direct rule from central Soviet authorities. The publishing of materials in Abkhazian dwindled and was eventually stopped altogether; Abkhaz schools were closed in 1945–1946, requiring Abkhaz children to study in
304-591: A Georgian university instead of an Abkhaz one. After several days of violence, Soviet troops restored order in the city. In March 1990, Georgia declared sovereignty, unilaterally nullifying treaties concluded by the Soviet government since 1921 and thereby moving closer to independence. The Republic of Georgia boycotted the 17 March 1991 all-Union referendum on the renewal of the Soviet Union called by Gorbachev; however, 52.3% of Abkhazia's population (almost all of
380-532: A Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States peacekeeping force failed to prevent the flare-up of violence on several occasions. In August 2008, Abkhaz and Russian forces fought a war against Georgian forces, which led to the formal recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, the annulment of the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the termination of the UN mission. On 23 October 2008, the Parliament of Georgia declared Abkhazia
456-514: A new chairman, Irakli Alasania , was appointed by President of Georgia , Mikheil Saakashvili . Alasania was later made Saakashvili's envoy in the peace talks over Abkhazia. Amid the 2006 Georgian police operation in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge , in which a local militia, led by the defiant warlord Emzar Kvitsiani , had been largely disarmed, and the constitutional order restored in the area, President Saakashvili announced, on July 27, 2006, that
532-650: A part of Georgia. In 1919, a first election was held to the Abkhaz People's Council. The Council favored being an autonomous region within Georgia, and it lasted until Red Army invasion of Georgia in February 1921. In 1921, the Bolshevik Red Army invaded Georgia and ended its short-lived independence. Abkhazia was made a socialist Soviet republic ( SSR Abkhazia ) with the ambiguous status of
608-604: A princely family in Georgia, a branch of the Anchabadze family from Abkhazia See also [ edit ] Abasgoi , ancient tribe likely the ancestors of the Abkhazians All pages with titles beginning with Abkhaz All pages with titles beginning with Abkhazian Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Abkhaz . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
684-738: A pro-Russian "buffer zone" in this troublesome region, was no longer needed by the Tsarist government and the rule of the Sharvashidze came to an end; in November 1864, Prince Mikhail (Hamud-Bey) was forced to renounce his rights and resettle in Voronezh, Russia . Later that same year, Abkhazia was incorporated into the Russian Empire as a special military province of Sukhum-Kale which was transformed, in 1883, into an okrug as part of
760-415: A resolution which condemned Georgia, supported Abkhazia and called for the suspension of the delivery of any weapons and equipment to Georgia and the deployment of a Russian peacekeeping force in Abkhazia. It was sponsored by a Russian nationalist politician Sergei Baburin , a Russian deputy who met Vladislav Ardzinba and argued that he was not that much sure that Abkhazia was part of Georgia. In October,
836-605: A short time after Kelesh-Bey was assassinated by his son, Aslan-Bey , in 1801. On 2 July 1810, Russian Marines stormed Sukhum-Kale and had Aslan-Bey replaced with his rival and brother, Sefer Ali-Bey , who had converted to Christianity and assumed the name of George. Abkhazia joined the Russian Empire as an autonomous principality, in 1810. However, Sefer-bey's rule was limited and many mountain regions were as independent as before. Sefer-bey ruled from 1810 to 1821. The next Russo-Turkish war (1828–1829) strongly enhanced
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#1732765088586912-552: A successful police operation against the rebelled administrator of the Georgian-populated Kodori Valley , Emzar Kvitsiani . Kvitsiani had been appointed by the previous president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze and refused to recognise the authority of president Mikheil Saakashvili , who succeeded Shevardnadze after the Rose Revolution . Although Kvitsiani escaped capture by Georgian police,
988-591: Is etymologized as 'a land of the soul' however the literal meaning is 'a country of mortals'. It possibly first appeared in the seventh century in an Armenian text, perhaps referring to the ancient Apsilians . In early Muslim sources, the term Abkhazia was generally used to mean the territory of Georgia. Presumably considered as a successor state of Lazica ( Egrisi in Georgian sources), this new polity continued to be referred to as Egrisi in some Byzantine era Georgian and Armenian chronicles (e.g. The Vitae of
1064-691: The Abasgoi and Moschoi peoples somewhere in modern Abkhazia on the eastern shore of the Black Sea. This region was subsequently absorbed in 63 BC into the Kingdom of Lazica . According to an Eastern tradition, Simon the Zealot died in Abkhazia during a missionary trip and was buried in Nicopsis ; his mortal remains were later transferred to Anacopia . The Roman Empire conquered Lazica in
1140-488: The Abkhaz —the region's titular ethnicity —and Georgians —the largest single ethnic group at that time—culminated in the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia , which resulted in Georgia's loss of control over most of Abkhazia and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia . Despite a 1994 ceasefire agreement and years of negotiations, the dispute remains unresolved. The long-term presence of a United Nations Observer Mission and
1216-714: The Byzantine Empire 's sphere of influence. Anacopia was the principality's capital. The country was mostly Christian, with the archbishop's seat in Pityus . Stratophilus, the Metropolitan of Pityus, participated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Around the middle of the 6th century AD, the Byzantines and the neighbouring Sassanid Persia fought for supremacy over Abkhazia, a conflict known as
1292-606: The December 1991 Coup . Shevardnadze announced that the Abkhaz faction took the decision without considering the opinion of the majority of population in Abkhazia. In August 1992, war broke out when the National Guard of Georgia entered Abkhazia to free captive Georgian officials, and to reopen the railway line. Abkhaz troops were the first to open fire. Abkhaz separatist government retreated to Gudauta where
1368-522: The Georgian government and nearly all United Nations member states consider Abkhazia sovereign territory of Georgia . Lacking effective control over the Abkhazian territory, Georgia maintains an Abkhaz government-in-exile . The region had autonomy within Soviet Georgia at the time when the Soviet Union began to disintegrate in the late 1980s. Simmering ethnic tensions between
1444-625: The Kutaisi Governorate . Large numbers of Muslim Abkhazians, said to have constituted as much as 40% of the Abkhazian population, emigrated to the Ottoman Empire between 1864 and 1878 together with other Muslim populations of the Caucasus, a process known as Muhajirism . Large areas of the region were left uninhabited and many Armenians , Georgians, Russians and others subsequently migrated to Abkhazia, resettling much of
1520-612: The Lazic War . During the war the Abasgians revolted against the Byzantine Empire and requested Sasanian assistance; the revolt was suppressed by General Bessas . An Arab incursion into Abasgia, led by Marwan II , was repelled by Prince Leon I jointly with his Lazic and Iberian allies in 736. Leon I then married Mirian 's daughter and a successor, King Leon II exploited this dynastic union to acquire Lazica in
1596-814: The October Revolution in Russia, the Transcaucasian Commissariat was set up in Southern Caucasus, which gradually took steps towards the independence. Transcaucasia declared its independence from Russia on 9 April 1918 as a federative republic . On 8 May 1918, the Bolsheviks seized power in Abkhazia and disbanded the local Abkhaz People's Council. It requested aid from the Transcausian authorities, which dispatched
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#17327650885861672-574: The Principality of Abkhazia (nominally a vassal of the Kingdom of Imereti ) emerged, ruled by the Shervashidze dynasty . In 1453, the Ottomans first attacked Sukhumi , and in the 1570s, they had a garrison there. Throughout the 17th century, they continued to launch attacks, leading to the imposition of tribute on Abkhazia. Ottoman influence grew significantly in the 18th century with
1748-793: The Republic of Abkhazia , is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus , on the eastern coast of the Black Sea , at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia . It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has a population of around 245,000. Its capital and largest city is Sukhumi . The political status of Abkhazia is a central issue of the Abkhazia conflict and Georgia–Russia relations . Abkhazia has been recognised as an independent state by Russia , Venezuela , Nicaragua , Nauru , and Syria ; however,
1824-640: The Russian ruble became the de facto currency and Russia began issuing passports to the population of Abkhazia. Georgia has also accused Russia of violating its airspace by sending helicopters to attack Georgian-controlled towns in the Kodori Gorge . In April 2008, a Russian MiG – prohibited from Georgian airspace, including Abkhazia – shot down a Georgian UAV . Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia The Government of
1900-545: The post-war period, the Abkhazian ASSR was dominated by the ethnic Abkhazs, which occupied much more positions in the autonomous republic compared to Georgians. During the late Soviet period, ethnic Abkhazs occupied 41% of the seats in Abkhazian Supreme Soviet, and 67% of the republican ministers were ethnically Abkhaz. Moreover, they held even larger proportion of lower level official posts within
1976-414: The 1921 constitution contained a provision for the region's autonomy. On 23 July 1992, the Abkhaz faction in the republic's Supreme Council declared effective independence from Georgia, although the session was boycotted by ethnic Georgian deputies and the gesture went unrecognised by any other country. The Abkhaz leadership launched a campaign of ousting Georgian officials from their offices, a process which
2052-632: The 1st century AD; however, the Roman presence was confined to the ports. According to Arrian , the Abasgoi and Apsilae peoples were nominal Roman subjects, and there was a small Roman outpost in Dioscurias . Abasgoi likely served in the Roman army in Ala Prima Abasgorum which was stationed in Egypt . After the 4th century Lazica regained a measure of independence, but remained within
2128-576: The 770s. The successful defence against the Arab Caliphate, and new territorial gains in the east gave the Abasgian princes enough power to claim more autonomy from the Byzantine Empire. Circa 778, Prince Leon II, with the help of the Khazars , declared independence from the Byzantine Empire and transferred his residence to Kutaisi . During this period the Georgian language replaced Greek as
2204-505: The 9th and 6th centuries BC, the territory of modern Abkhazia was part of the ancient Kingdom of Colchis . Around the 6th century BC, the Greeks established trade colonies along the Black Sea coast of present-day Abkhazia, in particular at Pitiunt and Dioscurias . Classical authors described various peoples living in the region and the great multitude of languages they spoke. Arrian , Pliny and Strabo have given accounts of
2280-688: The Abkhaz de facto authorities "to refrain from adopting measures incompatible with the right to return and with international human rights standards, such as discriminatory legislation... [and] to cooperate in the establishment of a permanent international human rights office in Gali and to admit United Nations civilian police without further delay." Key officials of the Gali District are virtually all ethnic Abkhaz, though their support staff are ethnic Georgian. Presidential elections were held in Abkhazia on 3 October 2004. Russia supported Raul Khajimba ,
2356-537: The Abkhaz and North Caucasian paramilitaries mounted a major offensive against Gagra after breaking a cease-fire, which drove the Georgian forces out of large swathes of the republic. Shevardnadze's government accused Russia of giving covert military support to the rebels with the aim of "detaching from Georgia its native territory and the Georgia-Russian frontier land". 1992 ended with the rebels in control of much of Abkhazia northwest of Sukhumi. The conflict
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2432-677: The Abkhaz population out of their homes" in the first phase of the war (according to Human Rights Watch ), while Georgia blames the Abkhaz forces and their allies for the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia, which has also been recognised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summits in Budapest (1994), Lisbon (1996) and Istanbul (1999). Before the 1992 War in Abkhazia , Georgians made up nearly half of Abkhazia's population, while less than one-fifth of
2508-582: The Abkhaz separatist forces took control of the region's capital Sokhumi after heavy fighting on September 27, 1993, leading to the Sokhumi Massacre , in which several members of the Abkhazian government of that time, including its chairman Zhiuli Shartava , were executed by the rebels. The Council of Ministers relocated to Georgia's capital Tbilisi , where it operated as the Government of Abkhazia in exile for almost 13 years. During this period,
2584-471: The Abkhaz were given a greater role in the governance of the republic. As in most of the smaller autonomous republics, the Soviet government encouraged the development of culture and particularly of literature. The Abkhazian ASSR was the only autonomous republic in the USSR in which the language of the titular nation (in that case Abkhazian) was confirmed in its constitution as one of its official languages. In
2660-553: The Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia is an administration established in exile by Georgia as the de jure government of independent Abkhazia . Abkhazia has been de facto independent from Georgia – though with limited international recognition – since the early 1990s. Ruslan Abashidze , elected in May 2019, is the current head of the government-in-exile . After the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) Georgia proposed five-party talks involving
2736-522: The Gali District in 1998. Nevertheless, between 40,000 and 60,000 refugees have returned to the Gali District since 1998, including persons commuting daily across the ceasefire line and those migrating seasonally in accordance with agricultural cycles. The human rights situation remained precarious for a while in the Georgian-populated areas of the Gali District. The United Nations and other international organisations have been fruitlessly urging
2812-596: The Georgian Kings by Leonti Mroveli and The History of Armenia by Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi ). The state is designated as the "Republic of Abkhazia" in its constitution. On the website of the President of Abkhazia, it says: "The names the Republic of Abkhazia and Apsny are equivalent". Before the 20th century, the region was sometimes referred to in English language sources as Abhasia . Between
2888-717: The Georgian People's Guard and defeated the rebels on 17 May. On 26 May 1918, Georgia declared independence from the Transcaucasian Federation, which soon dissolved. On 8 June 1918, the Abkhaz People's Council signed a treaty with the Georgian National Council, which confirmed Abkhazia's status as an autonomy within the Georgian Democratic Republic. Georgian army defeated another Bolshevik rebellion in
2964-717: The Georgian language. This was part of the wider Soviet educational reform launched in all SSRs in 1938. The teaching of Abkhaz language was preserved in the new reorganized Abkhaz schools as a mandatory subject by the decision of the Georgian Communist Party . In the Terror of 1937–38 , the ruling elite was purged of Abkhaz and by 1952 over 80% of the 228 top party and government officials and enterprise managers were ethnic Georgians; there remained 34 Abkhaz, 7 Russians and 3 Armenians in these positions. Georgian Communist Party leader Kandid Charkviani supported
3040-467: The Georgianization of Abkhazia. Peasant households from the rest of the Georgian SSR were resettled to Abkhazia, which included the organised settlement of ethnic Georgians. About 9,000 peasant households were settled in the underpopulated areas of Abkhazia between 1947 and 1952 and left to fend for themselves. The policy of repression was eased after Stalin's death and Beria's execution, and
3116-421: The Government of Abkhazia in exile, led by Tamaz Nadareishvili , was known for a hard-line stance towards the Abkhaz problem and frequently voiced their opinion that the solution to the conflict can only be attained through Georgia's military response to secessionism. Later, Nadareishvili's administration was implicated in some internal controversies and had not taken an active part in the politics of Abkhazia until
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3192-399: The Government of the Autonomous Republic, the government of the de facto authorities of Abkhazia, and the government of Georgia, along with Russia and the UN as interested parties, in order to settle the final status of Abkhazia within the framework of the Georgian state. The Abkhaz side wanted assurances that Georgia would not try to solve the issue by force of arms before being a party to
3268-539: The Kodori Gorge was brought back under the control of the central government in Tbilisi . Sporadic acts of violence continued throughout the postwar years. Despite the peacekeeping status of the Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, Georgian officials routinely claimed that Russian peacekeepers were inciting violence by supplying Abkhaz rebels with arms and financial support. Russian support of Abkhazia became pronounced when
3344-611: The Leninist tradition of the right of nations to self-determination, which they asserted was violated when Abkhazia's sovereignty was curtailed in 1931. In June 1988, a manifesto defending Abkhaz distinctiveness (known as the Abkhaz Letter ) was sent to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev . The Georgian–Abkhaz dispute turned violent on 16 July 1989 in Sukhumi. Numerous Georgians were killed or injured when they tried to enroll in
3420-402: The Republic of Abkhazia joined forces with the Ossetians and opened a second front against Georgia. During the Battle of the Kodori Valley Abkhazian forces loyal to the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia pushed the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia out of the region of Abkhazia. Sergei Bagapsh , President of the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia said in an address to
3496-420: The Russian military base was located. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported the ethnic-based violence against Georgians in Gudauta. The Abkhaz were relatively unarmed at the time and the Georgian troops were able to march into the capital Sukhumi with relatively little resistance and subsequently engaged in ethnically based pillage, looting, assault, and murder. The Abkhaz military defeat
3572-484: The Russian positions, leading to a further split in the Abkhaz elite, mainly along religious divisions. During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Russian forces had to evacuate Abkhazia and Prince Hamud-Bey Sharvashidze-Chachba (Mikhail), who ruled from 1822 to 1864, seemingly switched to the Ottomans. Later on, the Russian presence strengthened and the highlanders of Western Caucasia were finally subjugated by Russia in 1864. The autonomy of Abkhazia, which had functioned as
3648-534: The anti-Moscow Chechen secessionists. They sided with the Abkhaz separatists to fight against the Georgian government. Russian military did not impede the crossing of the Russia-Georgia border by the North Caucasian militants into Abkhazia. In the case of Basayev, it has been suggested that when he and the members of his battalion came to Abkhazia, they received training by the Russian Army (though others dispute this), presenting another possible motive. on September 25, 1992, Russian Supreme Council (parliament) passed
3724-429: The authorities had decided to establish the Tbilisi-based Abkhazian government-in-exile in the Kodori Gorge (Upper Abkhazia): This decision means that for the first time since 1993 the government enters into the midst of Abkhazia, of our Abkhazia, to exercise Georgian jurisdiction and the Georgian constitutional order. This is very important fact and very fundamental political event. During the 2008 Russo-Georgian War ,
3800-542: The autonomous republic. The first secretary of the communist party in Abkhazia was also ethnically Abkhaz. All of this was despite the fact that Abkhazians made up only 17.8% of the region’s population, while Georgians were 45.7% and other ethnicities (Greeks, Russians, Armenians, etc.) — 36,5%. As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate at the end of the 1980s, ethnic tensions grew between the Abkhaz and Georgians over Georgia's moves towards independence. Many Abkhaz opposed this, fearing that an independent Georgia would lead to
3876-429: The beginning of the 19th century, while the Russians and Ottomans were vying for control of the region, the rulers of Abkhazia shifted back and forth across the religious divide. The first attempt to enter into relations with Russia was made by Prince Kelesh-Bey in 1803, shortly after the incorporation of eastern Georgia into the expanding Tsarist empire in 1801. However, pro-Ottoman sympathy in Abkhazia prevailed for
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#17327650885863952-447: The construction of a fort in Sukhumi, accompanied by a conversion of the rulers of Abkhazia and many other Abkhaz to Islam . Nonetheless, conflicts between the Abkhaz and Turks persisted. The spread of Islam in Abkhazia was first evidenced by the Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi in 1641. Despite this, the Islamization was more evident in the higher levels of society rather than the general population. In his work, Çelebi also wrote that
4028-400: The elections to Sergei Bagapsh . The tense situation in the republic led to the cancellation of the election results by the Supreme Court. After that, a deal was struck between former rivals to run jointly, with Bagapsh as a presidential candidate and Khajimba as a vice-presidential candidate. They received more than 90% of the votes in the new election. In July 2006, Georgian forces launched
4104-505: The elimination of their autonomy, and argued instead for the establishment of Abkhazia as a separate Soviet republic in its own right. With the onset of perestroika , the agenda of Abkhaz nationalists became more radical and exclusive. In 1988, they began to ask for the reinstatement of Abkhazia's former status of Union Republic , as the submission of Abkhazia to another Union Republic was not considered to give enough guarantees of their development. They justified their request by referring to
4180-436: The ethnic non-Georgian population) took part in the referendum and voted by an overwhelming majority (98.6%) to preserve the Union. Most ethnic non-Georgians in Abkhazia later boycotted a 31 March referendum on Georgia's independence , which was supported by a huge majority of Georgia's population. Within weeks, Georgia declared independence on 9 April 1991, under former Soviet dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia . Under Gamsakhurdia,
4256-416: The immediate cessation of hostilities and its condemnation of the violation of the ceasefire by the Abkhaz side, fighting continued. After ten days of heavy fighting, Sukhumi was taken by Abkhazian forces on 27 September 1993. Shevardnadze narrowly escaped death, after vowing to stay in the city no matter what. He changed his mind, however, and decided to flee when separatist snipers fired on the hotel where he
4332-410: The language of literacy and culture. The Kingdom of Abkhazia flourished between 850 and 950 AD, which ended by unification of Abkhazia and eastern Georgian states under a single Georgian monarchy ruled by King Bagrat III at the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century. During the reign of Queen Tamar , Georgian chronicles mention Otagho as the Eristavi of Abkhazia. He
4408-502: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abkhaz&oldid=1034169110 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Abkhazia Abkhazia ( / æ b ˈ k ɑː z i ə / ab- KAH -zee-ə ), officially
4484-867: The population was Abkhaz . As the war progressed, confronted with hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians who were unwilling to leave their homes, the Abkhaz separatists implemented the process of ethnic cleansing in order to expel and eliminate the Georgian ethnic population in Abkhazia. About 5,000 were killed, 400 went missing and up to 250,000 ethnic Georgians were expelled from their homes. According to International Crisis Group , as of 2006 slightly over 200,000 Georgians remained displaced in Georgia proper. The campaign of ethnic cleansing also included Russians, Armenians, Greeks, moderate Abkhaz and other minor ethnic groups living in Abkhazia. More than 20,000 houses owned by ethnic Georgians were destroyed. Hundreds of schools, kindergartens, churches, hospitals, and historical monuments were pillaged and destroyed. Following
4560-431: The prime minister backed by the ailing outgoing separatist President Vladislav Ardzinba . Posters of Russia's President Vladimir Putin together with Khajimba, who, like Putin, had worked as a KGB official, were everywhere in Sukhumi. Deputies of Russia's parliament and Russian singers, led by Joseph Cobsohn , a State Duma deputy and a popular singer, came to Abkhazia, campaigning for Khajimba. However, Khajimba lost
4636-412: The principal tribe of Abkhazian principality, Chách, spoke Mingrelian language , a subset of Kartvelian (Georgian) languages. Abkhazia sought protection from the Russian Empire in 1801 but was declared "an autonomous principality " by the Russians in 1810. Russia then annexed Abkhazia in 1864, and Abkhaz resistance was quashed as the Russians deported Muslim Abkhaz to Ottoman territories. In
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#17327650885864712-449: The process of ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion, the population of Abkhazia has been reduced to 216,000, from 525,000 in 1989. Pogroms against ethnic Georgians organized by Abkhaz leaders continued even after the end of war, as far as February 1995. Of about 250,000 Georgian refugees, some 60,000 subsequently returned to Abkhazia's Gali District between 1994 and 1998, but tens of thousands were displaced again when fighting resumed in
4788-461: The region. It remained part of Georgia after another Bolshevik revolt and a Turkish expedition were defeated in 1918. Russian general and a leader of White movement Anton Denikin laid claims on Abkhazia and captured Gagra , but Georgians counter-attacked in April 1919 and retook the city. Denikin's Volunteer Army was eventually defeated by the Red Army , and Bolshevik Russia signed an agreement with Georgia in May 1920, recognizing Abkhazia as
4864-412: The situation was relatively calm in Abkhazia and a power-sharing agreement was soon reached between the Abkhaz and Georgian factions, granting to the Abkhaz a certain over-representation in the local legislature. Gamsakhurdia's rule was soon challenged by armed opposition groups, under the command of Tengiz Kitovani , that forced him to flee the country in a military coup in January 1992. Gamsakhurdia
4940-442: The supporters of the deposed Zviad Gamsakhurdia in the region of Mingrelia (Samegrelo). Only a small region of eastern Abkhazia, the upper Kodori gorge , remained under Georgian control (until 2008). During the war, gross human rights violations were reported on both sides (see Human Rights Watch report). Georgian troops have been accused of having committed looting and murders "for the purpose of terrorising, robbing and driving
5016-400: The synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church of Georgia-Imereti, by Order 2771, again prohibited teaching and the conduct of religious services in Georgian. Mass protests by the Georgian population of Abkhazia and Samurzakano followed, news of which reached the Russian emperor. On 3 September 1898 the Holy Synod issued Order 4880, which decreed that those parishes where the congregation
5092-407: The talks. Between September 2006 and July 2008, the Georgian recognized government was headquartered in Upper Abkhazia . It was forced out of all of Abkhazia in August 2008 during the Russo-Georgian war by the Abkhazian armed forces . Upper Abkhazia is a territory that has population of c. 2,000 (1–1.5% of Abkhazia's post-war population) and is centered on the upper Kodori Valley (roughly 17% of
5168-442: The territory of the former Abkhaz ASSR ). The government-in-exile is partly responsible for the affairs of some 250,000 internally displaced persons who were forced to leave Abkhazia following the War in Abkhazia and the resulting ethnic cleansing of Georgians from the area. During the War in Abkhazia, the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, then called the "Council of Ministers of Abkhazia", left Abkhazia after
5244-504: The vacated territory. Some Georgian historians assert that Georgian tribes ( Svans and Mingrelians ) had populated Abkhazia since the time of the Colchis kingdom . By official decision of the Russian authorities, the residents of Abkhazia and Samurzakano had to study and pray in Russian. After the mass deportation of 1878, Abkhazians were left in the minority, officially branded "guilty people", and had no leader capable of mounting serious opposition to Russification . On 17 March 1898,
5320-487: Was Mingrelian (i.e. Georgian), conduct both church services and church education in Georgian, while Abkhazian parishes use old Slavic . In the Sukhumi district, this order was carried out in only three of 42 parishes. Tedo Sakhokia demanded the Russian authorities introduce Abkhazian and Georgian languages in church services and education. The official response was a criminal case brought against Tedo Sakhokia and leaders of his "Georgian Party" active in Abkhazia. Following
5396-474: Was accompanied by violence. In the meantime, the Abkhaz leader Vladislav Ardzinba intensified his ties with hard-line Russian politicians and military elite and declared he was ready for a war with Georgia. To respond to this situation, Eduard Shevardnadze , new leader of Georgia, had interrupted his trip to Western Georgia, where the Georgian Civil War had been going on between his government and supporters of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia , ousted during
5472-541: Was in stalemate until July 1993, when Abkhaz separatist militias launched an abortive attack on Georgian-held Sukhumi. They surrounded and heavily shelled the capital, where Shevardnadze was trapped. The warring sides agreed to a Russian-brokered truce in Sochi at the end of July. But the ceasefire broke down again on 16 September 1993. Abkhaz forces, with armed support from outside Abkhazia, launched attacks on Sukhumi and Ochamchira. Notwithstanding UN Security Council's call for
5548-518: Was met with a hostile response by the self-styled Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus , an umbrella group uniting a number of movements in the North Caucasus , including elements of Circassians , Abazins , Chechens , Cossacks , Ossetians and hundreds of volunteer paramilitaries and mercenaries from Russia, including the then-little-known Shamil Basayev , later a leader of
5624-567: Was one of the first representatives of the House of Shervashidze (also known as Chachba) which went on to rule Abkhazia until the 19th century. In the 1240s, Mongols divided Georgia into eight military-administrative sectors ( tümens ). The territory of contemporary Abkhazia formed part of the tümen administered by Tsotne Dadiani . In the 16th century, after the break-up of the Georgian Kingdom into small kingdoms and principalities,
5700-543: Was replaced by former Soviet Georgian leader and Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze , who became the country's head of state. On 21 February 1992, Georgia's ruling military council announced that it was abolishing the Soviet-era constitution and restoring the 1921 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia . Many Abkhaz interpreted this as an abolition of their autonomous status, although
5776-474: Was staying. Abkhaz, North Caucasian militants, and their allies committed numerous atrocities against the city's remaining ethnic Georgians, in what has been dubbed the Sukhumi Massacre . The mass killings and destruction continued for two weeks, leaving thousands dead and missing. The Abkhaz forces quickly overran the rest of Abkhazia as the Georgian government faced a second threat; an uprising by
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