Portal:Abkhazia

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The Abkhazia Portal

Flag of Abkhazia	Coat of Arms for Abkhazia

Abkhazia (/æbˈkɑːziə/ ^ⓘ ab-KAH-zee-ə), officially 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 Western 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 Abkhaz–Georgian conflict and Georgia–Russia relations. Abkhazia has been recognised as an independent state by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria; however, the Georgian government and nearly all United Nations member states consider Abkhazia a 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 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 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 a Russian-occupied territory, a position shared by most United Nations member states.

Abkhazia is heavily dependent on Russia: half of its budget comes from Russian aid and much of its state structure is integrated with Russia; it uses the Russian ruble; its foreign policy is coordinated with Russia; and a majority of its citizens have Russian passports.

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The Bagramyan Battalion (Russian: Батальон имени Баграмяна; Armenian: Բաղրամյանի անվան գումարտակ), also known officially as the Independent Motorized Rifle Battalion named after Marshal Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan (Russian: отдельный мотострелковый батальон и́мени маршала Ивана Христофоровича Баграмяна) was a unit formed in Abkhazia and predominantly composed of ethnic Armenians living in Abkhazia that fought together with Russia backed separatist Abkhaz forces during the War in Abkhazia (1992–93). Named in honour of the Soviet Armenian Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, the battalion fought against the forces of Georgia. It was subsequently disbanded. It is considered a terrorist organisation by many international research organizations and Georgia.

Together with other Abkhazian groups, they were able to ethnically cleanse the region of Georgians, forcing some 250,000 to flee. The Battalion was reported to have been disbanded in 1996, but in 1998 a high-profile terrorist attack in Georgia was attributed to it. (Full article...)

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Ardzinba in 1996

Vladislav Ardzinba (Abkhaz: Владислав Арӡынба, Georgian: ვლადისლავ არძინბა; 14 May 1945 – 4 March 2010) was the first de facto president of Abkhazia. A historian by education, Ardzinba led Abkhazia to de facto independence in the 1992–1993 War with Georgia, but its de jure independence from Georgia remained internationally unrecognised during Ardzinba's two terms as President from 1994 to 2005.

A noted specialist in Hittitology, he was a member of the first parliament to be elected democratically in the Soviet Union in 1989. (Full article...)

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Nestor Lakoba Bessas (magister militum) Gubazes II of Lazica Justin (consul 540) Gennadi Gagulia Raul Khajimba Beslan Bartsits Viktor Saneyev Sergei Shamba Daur Arshba Sergei Bagapsh Fazil Iskander Valeri Bganba Aslan Bzhania Abrskil George II of Abkhazia Dorotheos Dbar Igor Akhba Beslan Butba

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The following are images from various Abkhazia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Enguri Bridge [ru] over the Enguri river border (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 2Kingdom of Imereti in the 16th century (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 3Map of Abkhazia, with Georgia to the east (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 4Nestor Lakoba, a Bolshevik leader of Abkhazia from 1921 to 1936 (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 5Bagrat III of Georgia; of the House of Bagrationi (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 6Map showing the situation in Georgia at the end of 1993. Abkhaz forces were in control of all of the former Abkhaz ASSR, except the Kodori Gorge which remained in Georgian hands until the 2008 war with Russia. (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 7Enguri Bridge [ru] over the Enguri river (from Abkhazia–Georgia border)
Image 8Gagra Range (from Geography of Abkhazia)
Image 9Anacopia Fortress (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 10One of the dolmens from Eshera (now at the Sukhumi Museum) (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 11Map of modern Abkhazia (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 12Map of Sukhumi district (Abkhazia), 1890s (from History of Abkhazia)
Image 13Meeting of Circassian Princes in the Valley of the Sochi River by Gregory Gagarin (1841). The print depicts several influential Abkhaz noblemen who played an active role in the politics of Abkhazia and in the regional conflicts (from History of Abkhazia)

Did you know?

...that the Voronya Cave in the Arabika Massif is currently the world's deepest cave and that its complete depth has not yet been established?
...that Lavrentiy Beria, the feared head of the Soviet NKVD, was born in the village of Merkheuli and that he went to school in Sukhumi?
...that during the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, Abkhazia witnessed a very similar political crisis following the 2004 presidential election, which lasted twice as long?
...that there is a tiny community of Afro-Abkhazians, descendent from slaves bought centuries ago from the Turks?

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