... in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Andrey Kortunov:
The Liberal Project and Its Relevance for Armenia
Nagorno-Karabakh is the latest example, as most of the ethnic quarrels in the South Caucasus are still ongoing since 1991, with Abkhazia and South Ossetia remaining
de facto
[
1
] independent from Georgia, while only one of the three recognized countries (Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan), Armenia, has managed to join a supranational framework [
2
].
In over three decades, the political-economic context of the region has deteriorated with a continuous ...
... and in what comprises the internationally recognized borders of Georgia today. Since 1800, Russia dominated the country and has been nearly the sole major outside actor involved in these ethnic conflicts, and in recent years has acted to allow both Abkhazia and South Ossetia to become de facto independent from Georgia and to become de facto parts of the Russian Federation. After the period of the rule of the Czars over the Russian Empire ended, the ethnic minorities in Georgia competed for favor and power to be bestowed from the Soviet Union’s governing ...
... (which established the Joint Control Commission) obsolete. Russia, which recognized the independence of South Ossetia, launched an initiative to transform the OSCE Mission and to create on its basis two separate missions (one in Georgia and another in South Ossetia). However, other members of the OSCE insisted on the “territorial integrity” of Georgia and on the continued work of the previous Mission. See:
http://ria.ru/trend/osce_mission
Similarly, after Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence, the former disagreed with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council (US, France, Britain, and China) about the prospects for the work of the UNOMIG (United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia) on the territory of ...
... for the situation in Ukraine, Georgia unequivocally supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and endeavours to provide the necessary aid to our close neighbours.
Has the Ukrainian crisis altered the perception of the situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia?
Some people have changed their opinion, some have adopted even stronger stances. On the whole, the dramatic events that have unfolded in Ukraine are reminiscent of what happened in Georgia in 2008 and earlier in the 1990s.
In early summer 2015,...
... citizenship and facilitating the procedure of obtaining the Abkhaz citizenship, have been viewed differently. I do not think that, in South Ossetia, the issue of dual citizenship will be perceived negatively. The problem is that before the armed conflict with Georgia in the early 1990s, Ossetians were in the majority in South Ossetia while the Abkhazians were a minority in Abkhazia, accounting for 17 percent of the population, while Ossetians make up more than 60 percent of the population in South Ossetia.
In any case, the conclusion of this agreement should not be viewed as a breakthrough ...
... the Russian Federation and other countries in the region, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
RD: How efficient is the format of Geneva international discussions on security and stability matters in the South Caucasus, with equal participation of Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia, Russia, and the United States in the collective co-presidency of the EU, the UN and the OSCE?
G.K.:
This format will turn five on October 15, 2013. This is a small anniversary and an occasion to sum up the initial results. At present, the ...
... the post-Soviet space as a whole.
The five years after the South Ossetian war were a time of quest for Russia. The defeat of Georgia was seen as a major landmark and a psychological resurgence after more than 20 years of geopolitical retreat. At the same ... ... than reunion for the sake of reunion.
Russia’s most controversial postwar move was the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In the five years since, Russia has not convinced any major country to do the same and is unlikely to succeed any ...
