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79-642: In June 2014 CONIFA announced plans to organize the ConIFA European Football Cup. 3 FAs applied to host the tournament: Abkhazia , Ellan Vannin and Nagorno Karabakh . Ellan Vannin was announced as host on August 6. However, in March 2015, at the draw for the competition, the tournament was moved as a result of logistical issues; Székely Land was announced as the replacement host, with the competition to be held in Hungary . In January 2017 CONIFA announced that

158-589: 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

237-581: 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

316-625: 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

395-573: 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

474-710: 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

553-466: 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,

632-598: 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

711-532: 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,

790-542: A total of 136) and an expanded mission. The new mission was considerably more broad than the original. UNOMIG's original responsibilities in verifying the implementation of the ceasefire were retained. However, UNOMIG was now responsible for observing the operation of the new peacekeeping force that had been deployed by the Commonwealth of Independent States . They were also to verify, through observation and patrolling, that troops from either side did not remain in or re-enter

869-586: 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

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948-667: 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

1027-683: 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

1106-590: 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

1185-604: 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

1264-594: 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

1343-771: 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

1422-557: 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

1501-678: 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 . United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia ( UNOMIG )

1580-571: The Secretary-General of the United Nations on the implementation of its mandate. 88 military advisors were authorized to be deployed to the region. It ended on 15 June 2009, when Russia vetoed an extension of the mission. The last observers left the region on 15 July 2009. The mission's original mandate was invalidated after renewed fighting broke out in the area in September 1993. UNOMIG

1659-442: 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

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1738-528: 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

1817-414: 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

1896-609: 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

1975-616: The 2017 edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup would take place in Northern Cyprus . The competition featured 8 teams, 2 more than in 2015. In August 2019, ConIFA announced the 2019 edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup took place in Nagorno Karabakh and featured 12 teams, 4 more than in 2017. However, this was revised down to 8 teams following the late withdrawal of 4 teams. In January 2021, ConIFA announced

2054-628: The 2021 edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup took place in Nice , France and featured 12 teams, 4 more than in the 2017 and 2019 editions. This was announced in a backdrop of the, at the time, ongoing COVID-19 Global Pandemic . In September 2022, ConIFA announced the 2023 edition of the CONIFA European Football Cup would take place in Northern Cyprus . It was suspended following the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake , to enable Northern Cyprus to focus on supporting humanitarian efforts in Turkey. No replacement host

2133-559: 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

2212-552: 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

2291-677: 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 ,

2370-530: 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

2449-662: 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

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2528-467: 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

2607-620: 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

2686-514: 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

2765-629: 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

2844-676: 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

2923-703: 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

3002-460: 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

3081-529: 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

3160-594: 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

3239-418: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The office forms part of UNOMIG and reports to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , through the Head of the UNOMIG Mission. Though they maintain a political office in Tbilisi, their military headquarters are in Sukhumi, Abkhazia. On 8 October 2001 a UNOMIG helicopter

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3318-420: 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

3397-484: 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

3476-534: 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

3555-542: 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

3634-429: 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

3713-418: The ceasefire agreement, and for attempting to resolve resulting disputes. Finally, they were to work towards making conditions safe for the orderly return of refugees and displaced persons. On 10 December 1996, a United Nations office for the protection of human rights in Abkhazia was established in Tbilisi , Georgia, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1077 of 22 October. It is jointly staffed by

3792-447: 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

3871-400: 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

3950-505: 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

4029-436: 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,

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4108-648: 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 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] )

4187-416: 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

4266-410: 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

4345-514: The mission the next vehicles were used during the patrols by the unarmed military observes: Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Patrol (now instead of the Toyota 4Runner), NYALA RG-31 [mine protected vehicle, along the cease-fire line (CFL) and at the training areas]. The Nissan Patrol was used mainly in the Restricted Weapon Zone (RWZ) and in the Security Zone (SZ) of the mission. In every patrol there were 2 vehicles with 4 unarmed military observers and one interpreter. The patrols were always in radio connection with

4424-867: 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

4503-431: 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

4582-412: 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

4661-449: 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

4740-461: 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

4819-532: The release of funds by donors. They also continued to push for a political settlement to the conflict, though Secretary-General Annan complained about the slow rate of progress. In late 2003, UNOMIG became concerned about an increase in kidnappings, murders and robberies, particularly in the Gori region. The last chief military observer was Major General Anwar Hussain from Bangladesh. The strength of UNOMIG on 20 September 2008 stood at 134 military observers (including 12 medical personnel) and 17 police advisers. In

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4898-465: The return of refugees and internally displaced persons. On 30 January 2004, again at the request of Secretary-General Annan, Security Council Resolution 1524 was passed, which extended UNOMIG's mandate until 31 July 2004. UNOMIG was concerned with security, assisting the return of the displaced and repairs of key infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. As of January 2003 , 21 projects were at an advanced or intermediate stage and 10 others were awaiting

4977-445: The sector [Gali Sector HQ (in Abkhazia) or Zugdidi Sector HQ (in Georgia); and Sukhumi HQ (in Abkhazia)]. There were radio devices for every observers and in the vehicles because of the safety. Along the cease-fire line (CFL) there were a lot of Security Posts (SP) and Observing Posts (OP) both of the sides. In the patrolling team only one person could be from one nation during the patrol. For example: 4 unarmed military observers were on

5056-402: The security zone, and that heavy military equipment did not remain or be re-introduced. UNOMIG was to oversee the withdrawal of Georgian troops from the Kodori Valley and thus, out of Abkhaz territory. Their patrols replaced those of Georgia in the valley. They were responsible for investigating, at the request of either party or the peacekeeping force, or on their own initiative, violations of

5135-412: 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

5214-442: 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

5293-400: 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

5372-504: 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,

5451-487: 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

5530-474: 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

5609-503: Was announced. For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown. As of October 2023 Abkhazia Abkhazia ( / æ b ˈ k ɑː z i ə / 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 West Asia . It covers 8,665 square kilometres (3,346 sq mi) and has

5688-476: Was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 858 on 24 August 1993 to verify compliance with a 27 July 1993 ceasefire agreement between the Republic of Georgia and forces in Abkhazia with special attention given to the situation in the city of Sukhumi , Georgia. It was also to investigate reports of ceasefire violations, attempt to resolve such incidents with the parties involved, and to report to

5767-537: 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

5846-506: 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

5925-555: 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,

6004-528: 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

6083-490: Was shot down in Abkhazia. All nine passengers were killed. The perpetrators have never been found, despite repeated demands from the Security Council. The Security Council passed another resolution on 30 July 2003, on the recommendation of Secretary-General Kofi Annan , authorizing for a civilian police component of 20 officers be added to UNOMIG, in order to strengthen its capacity to carry out its mandate and assist in

6162-466: 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

6241-506: Was subsequently given an interim mandate by Security Council in November 1993 to maintain contacts with the parties involved and to monitor and report on the situation. It aimed to work towards achieving a comprehensive political settlement. In May 1994, both sides signed the Agreement on a Cease-fire and Separation of Forces . in July 1994 the Security Council authorized an increase in observers (to

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