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Causes of War Prospects for Peace

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Georgian Orthodox Church Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung CAUSES OF WAR PROS P E C TS FOR PEA C E Tbilisi, 2009 1 On December 2-3, 2008 the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung held a scientific conference on the theme: Causes of War - Prospects for Peace. The main purpose of the conference was to show the essence of the existing conflicts in Georgia and to prepare objective scientific and information basis. This book is a collection of conference reports and discussion materials that on the request of the editorial board has been presented in article format. Publishers: Metropolitan Ananya Japaridze Katia Christina Plate Bidzina Lebanidze Nato Asatiani Editorial board: Archimandrite Adam (Akhaladze), Tamaz Beradze, Rozeta Gujejiani, Roland Topchishvili, Mariam Lordkipanidze, Lela Margiani, Tariel Putkaradze, Bezhan Khorava Reviewers: Zurab Tvalchrelidze Revaz Sherozia Giorgi Cheishvili Otar Janelidze Editorial board wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Irina Bibileishvili, Merab Gvazava, Nia Gogokhia, Ekaterine Dadiani, Zviad Kvilitaia, Giorgi Cheishvili, Kakhaber Tsulaia. ISBN 2345632456 Printed by CGS ltd 2 Preface by His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia ILIA II; Opening Words to the Conference 5 Preface by Katja Christina Plate, Head of the Regional Office for Political Dialogue in the South Caucasus of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung; Opening Words to the Conference 8 Abkhazia: Historical-Political and Ethnic Processes Tamaz Beradze, Konstantine Topuria, Bezhan Khorava - A Historical-Geographical Review of Modern Abkhazia 10 Rozeta Gujejiani - Historical-Ethnographical Survey of Dali Svaneti/Kodori Gorge/Zemo (upper) Abkhazia 13 Bezhan Khorava - Ethnic Processes in Abkhazia (From Ancient times till present) 18 Jemal Gamakharia - Political-Legal Status of Abkhazia in 1917-1937 28 Nodar Shoshitashvili, Soso Chanturishvili, Nino Mindadze, Ketevan Khutsishvili, Rozeta Gujejiani, Giorgi Cheishvili - Ethnographical Life of Abkhazia 40 Gocha Gvaramia - Cause Factors of the Abkhazian (Georgia) Conflict and the Russian Policy Motivation Aspects in Conflict Regulation Processes 50 Tskhinvali Side - Historical-Political and Ethnic Processes Roland Topchishvili – Ethnic Processes in Shida Karthli (The Ossetians in Georgia) 111 Bimurza Dadeshkeliani-Aprasidze – Regarding the Political-Legal Status Of a Certain Part (Tskhinvali region) of Shida Kartli 139 Historical Dynamics of the Language-Cultural Situation in Georgia Metropolitan Ananya Japaridze – Church – Consolidating the Georgian Regions 144 Ketevan Pavliashvili – Russian Church Globalization Project and Georgian Orthodox Church 149 Manana Tabidze – Towards the Linguistic-Culturological Analysis of Conflicting Regions of Georgia 157 3 Teimuraz Gvantseladze – Russian Language Policy in Abkhazia and its Results 167 Georgia: Geopolitical Vectors Tariel Putkaradze - Some Aspects of the Geopolitical Strategy of Georgia (on Politicization of the Kartvelological Studies) 173 Lia Akhaladze – Epigraphy as the Source of Ethnocultural History of Abkhazia and Samachablo 184 Tamaz Putkradze - One Example of Demographical Management: History of Muhajiroba in South-West Georgia 192 Guram Markhulia - From the History of Armenian Diaspora in Georgia 198 Dazmir Jojua - Essence of the Abkhazian Conflict – the Russian-Georgian War 206 Giorgi Leon Kavtaradze - The Geopolitical Role of the Caucasus Mountains from the Historical Perspective 214 4 Preface by His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II OPENING WORDS TO THE CONFERENCE Ladies and Gentlemen! It is a true joy and a great privilege to greet you cordially on behalf of the Church of Georgia and in person. I would like to greet you on behalf of a country and people who have a history that counts more than 3000 years of statehood and 2000 years of Christian practice. Georgia is a small, yet multinational country and I could say that persecution on religious or ethnic grounds has never taken place in Georgia. This was first of all conditioned by the loving nature of our people, as well as certainly by the Christian faith which is confessed by the majority of the population of Georgia. I am emphasizing this particular point on account of the fact that, following the events that developed in our country in August, some people have been trying to present us as aggressors while in reality it is ethnic Georgian population who was banished from the Tskhinvali Region, and was robbed and scattered. Internally displaced persons from Abkhazia have been living in the same conditions for seventeen years and unfortunately, no efficient steps were taken to create security guarantees for them and ensure their return. I do believe that it is necessary to recall the recent past of our country in order to be able to make a correct assessment of the current situation. However, I would like to note in advance that I am not a politician and naturally my assessments may differ from yours. Yet religious leaders who represent an absolute majority of the population of the country, are not only spiritual representatives of their people but they carry a certain political weight too. It is for this reason that I want to share my ideas and my concerns with you. In the 1920s, when the Communists invaded independent Georgia, they distributed some parts of our territories among the neighbouring states and without any historical or legal grounds they created the autonomous republics of Ajara, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the remaining parts. By doing so they planted the time-bombs that were to go off as soon as the occasion arose. Now the time has come. Even though the Soviet Union no longer exists, the ideology and fabricated history that has been instilled in the minds of residents of the above-mentioned regions for 70 years, and over 100 years of Tsarist rule before that, disposed the residents of these regions against Georgia, thereby creating an illusion that they had been invaded by the Georgian state. In reality, these regions are ancient Georgian lands just as, for example, Novgorod, Suzdal or Smolensk are for the Russians…Besides, majority of the population in these parts of Georgia have always been ethnic Georgians. We need the West’s support to confront the anti-Georgian propaganda. If we succeed 5 in this, I am convinced that the attitude of these ethnic minorities towards Georgia will change radically because they, as well as other ethnicities living here, have enjoyed wonderful conditions for their own development within Georgia. Abkhaz- and Ossetian-language universities and other institutions of higher education, schools and theatres, as well as newspapers and magazines operated both in Abkhazia and the so-called South Ossetia… That is to say, they enjoyed full autonomies and achieved considerable success too. Indeed, the current confrontation is not a Georgian-Ossetian or Georgian-Abkhaz ethnic conflict. The truth is well manifested by the fact that, both during the hostilities and today ethnic Ossetians living in great numbers in various towns and villages of Georgia have not left their homes. Nor have they experienced any problems communicating with the Georgians. The same is true about the Abkhaz. I am not saying that mistakes, serious mistakes, were not made on our part. However, it is also natural that Georgia, as any other country in the world, would not reconcile itself with losing its own territories. The Georgian people and the Church of Georgia are grateful to the international community who has demonstrated solidarity with us and did not support the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and so-called South Ossetia. However, I would also like to emphasize here that any country that supports Georgia’s territorial integrity is thereby defending its borders and peace in general because the reasons that were employed for recognizing the independence of these so-called autonomies, is devoid of any grounds and is bound to create serious problems for any country, including Russia itself. It will fuel separatism, a centrifugal force that will destroy any country. It is an attempt to legalize ethnic cleansing and it should not be sanctioned. Georgia will always strive to reclaim its territories. I categorically rule out violent methods for attaining these ends. Both before the conflict and now, our Church has opposed and still opposes bloodshed and we have said this more than once. I believe diplomatic (especially public diplomacy), economic, cultural, religious and other means will make it possible to repair the broken bridge between Georgia and Russia. The country that gave to the world St Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, St John of Kronstadt, Optina Elders, great hierarchs, martyrs, famous philosophers and writers, is culturally close to us. What has happened should not have happened. We could have chosen another path in our relations. Now a serious crack and distrust has appeared in Russian-Georgian relations. The wall that was erected is difficult to demolish but it is necessary that we do so. We should help each other in restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity. Well-known politicians are saying that he, who possesses Eurasia, possesses the world. I believe other regions too, including the Caucasus, have a great importance for the world. It is due to this fact that the interests of great countries converge here and everybody is trying to transform it into their sphere of influence. At the same time, each of them is proposing to us a position that is
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