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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 Abkhazia 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 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.
The Security Council of the United Nations passed 32 resolutions where it recognizes Abkhazia as an integral part of Georgia and supports its territorial integrity according to the principles of the international law. The UN is urging both sides to settle the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict through peaceful means by intensifying diplomatic dialogue and ratifying the final accord about the status of Abkhazia in the Georgian Constitution. Moreover, United nations calls for immediate return of all expelled ethnic Georgians (approximately 250,000) and determining the final status of Abkhazia as maximum autonomy or federative structure within the borders of the Georgian state. The resolutions also commend Russia's role as a peacekeeper and facilitator towards a resolution of the conflict. Resolution 1716 also urges Georgia to ensure that no troops are present in the Kodori Gorge and asks Georgia to refrain from provocative actions in the Kodori Gorge.
Many of the resolutions relate to the establishment and extension of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia. (Full article...)List of selected biographies
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