REPORT of the Public Organization the «International Fund Apsny
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Working Paper March 2021 #12
GIP W O R K I N G P A P E R MARCH 2021 #12 GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES OF ABKHAZIA AND THE FORMER AUTONOMOUS DISTRICT OF SOUTH OSSETIA IN TBILISI: POWER AND LEGITIMACY IN EXILE Tornike Zurabashvili P I GEORGIAN INSTITUTE G OF POLITICS GIP WORKING PAPER MARCH 2021 #12 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tornike Zurabashvili has a lengthy experience of working for non-governmental organizations and think tanks in Georgia and abroad. In 2017-2019, he was the Chief Editor of Civil.Ge, a trilingual online outlet on politics of Georgia. In 2019-2020, Tornike was a fellow of the Eurasia Democratic Security Network at the Center for Social Sciences in Tbilisi. He is currently the Programs Manager at the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), an elections and democracy watchdog in Georgia. Tornike holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tbili si State University (International Affairs), and Master’s degrees from Ilia State University (Public Administration) and Trinity College Dublin (Political Science). He has also completed exchange and short-term programs at Charles, Tartu and Georgetown universities. He is currently pursuing a PhD in political science at Tbilisi State University. The original text is published in Georgian; Available here >> Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) is a Tbilisi-based non-profit, non-partisan, research and analysis organization. GIP works to strengthen the organizational backbone of democratic institutions and promote good governance and development through policy research and advocacy in Georgia. This publication was produced as part of the research project Competency through Cooperation: Advancing knowledge on Georgia’s strategic path — GEOPATH funded by the Research Council of Norway. -
Rr"^~N I SEP 2 2 2006 W
• e E-I v E p\ L —^rr"^~n I SEP 2 2 2006 W Note to Ms. Barcena EXECUTIVE OFFIC? 0? THE SECRETARY-GEf JERAL UNOMIG: Draft Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia 1. Please fmdjittached,,_fpr the Secretary-General's apprpyal the draft report on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia. This is a mandate renewal report - the current mandate of UNOMIG expires on 15 October 2006. The report is to be issued on 2 October 2006; the Troop and Police Contributors meeting and the Security Council consultations are scheduled for 6 October. 2. The report covers the main developments in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict since the last report of 26 June 2006 and the Security Council's adoption of resolution 1666 on 31 March 2006. A key development was the large-scale Georgian special operation in the upper Kodori Valley in July, as a result of which some military elements were re-introduced in that area in contravention of the 1994 Moscow Agreement on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces. The Georgian side also refused to accept participation by the CIS peacekeeping force in monitoring the upper Kodori Valley jointly with UNOMIG. As a consequence, the peace process practically came to a halt as the Abkhaz side required demilitarization of the upper Kodori valley as a pre-condition for the resumption of dialogue on the broader negotiation agenda. The Georgian operation also took place against the background of the adoption, by the Georgian Parliament, of a resolution requesting the Georgian Government to start procedures to withdraw the CIS peacekeeping force from the conflict zone. -
Georgia/Abkhazia
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ARMS PROJECT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/HELSINKI March 1995 Vol. 7, No. 7 GEORGIA/ABKHAZIA: VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS OF WAR AND RUSSIA'S ROLE IN THE CONFLICT CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................................5 EVOLUTION OF THE WAR.......................................................................................................................................6 The Role of the Russian Federation in the Conflict.........................................................................................7 RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................................................8 To the Government of the Republic of Georgia ..............................................................................................8 To the Commanders of the Abkhaz Forces .....................................................................................................8 To the Government of the Russian Federation................................................................................................8 To the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus...........................................................................9 To the United Nations .....................................................................................................................................9 To the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe..........................................................................9 -
A Description of a New Subspecies of Rock Lizard Darevskia Brauneri Myusserica Ssp
Труды Зоологического института РАН Том 315, № 3, 2011, c. 242–262 УДК 598.113.6 ОПИСАНИЕ НОВОГО ПОДВИДА СКАЛЬНОЙ ЯЩЕРИЦЫ DAREVSKIA BRAUNERI MYUSSERICA SSP. NOV. ИЗ ЗАПАДНОГО ЗАКАВКАЗЬЯ (АБХАЗИЯ) C КОММЕНТАРИЯМИ ПО СИСТЕ МАТИКЕ КОМПЛЕКСА DAREVSKIA SAXICOLA И.В. Доронин Зоологический институт Российской академии наук, Университетская наб. 1, 199034 Санкт-Петербург, Россия; e-mail: [email protected] РЕЗЮМЕ В статье приводится описание нового подвида скальной ящерицы комплекса Darevskia saxicola, обитающего на территории Пицундо-Мюссерского заповедника и в районе г. Гагра Республики Абхазия. Мюссерская ящерица, Darevskia brauneri myusserica ssp. nov., отличается от других таксонов комплекса следующей ком- бинацией морфологических признаков: (1) крупный или очень крупный центральновисочный щиток; (2) прерывистый ряд ресничных зернышек между верхнересничными и надглазничными щитками; (3) наличие дополнительных щитков, лежащих по обе стороны от затылочного и межтеменного щитков, либо дробление последнего; (4) сетчатый рисунок на спине (у самок нечеткий); (5) доминирование у самок серого и светло- серого цвета в окраске дорсальной поверхности тела; (6) белое горло и брюхо. Кроме того, новый подвид отличается некоторыми особенностями биологии: биотопической приуроченностью к прибрежным выходам конгломерата и относительно низкой численностью популяции. Предположительно, формирование таксона протекало в плейстоцене. Образование приморской равнины полуострова Пицунда за счет аллювиальной и морской аккумуляции в позднем неоплейстоцене – голоцене разделило ареал мюссерской ящерицы на гагр- ский и мюссерский участки. Эта территория расположена в пределах Черноморского рефугиума восточно- средиземноморских видов герпетофауны. Ключевые слова: Абхазия, комплекс Darevskia saxicola, скальные ящерицы, Darevskia brauneri myusserica ssp. nov. A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUBSPECIES OF ROCK LIZARD DAREVSKIA BRAUNERI MYUSSERICA SSP. NOV. FROM THE WESTERN TRANSCAUCASIA (ABKHAZIA), WITH COMMENTS ON SYSTEMATICS OF DAREVSKIA SAXICOLA COMPLEX I.V. -
The Spread of Christianity in the Eastern Black Sea Littoral (Written and Archaeological Sources)*
9863-07_AncientW&E_09 07-11-2007 16:04 Pagina 177 doi: 10.2143/AWE.6.0.2022799 AWE 6 (2007) 177-219 THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE EASTERN BLACK SEA LITTORAL (WRITTEN AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES)* L.G. KHRUSHKOVA Abstract This article presents a brief summary of the literary and archaeological evidence for the spread and consolidation of Christianity in the eastern Black Sea littoral during the early Christian era (4th-7th centuries AD). Colchis is one of the regions of the late antique world for which the archaeological evidence of Christianisation is greater and more varied than the literary. Developments during the past decade in the field of early Christian archaeology now enable this process to be described in considerably greater detail The eastern Black Sea littoral–ancient Colchis–comprises (from north to south) part of the Sochi district of the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation as far as the River Psou, then Abkhazia as far as the River Ingur (Engur), and, further south, the western provinces of Georgia: Megrelia (Samegrelo), Guria, Imereti and Adzhara (Fig. 1). This article provides a summary of the literary and archaeological evidence for the spread and consolidation of Christianity in the region during the early Christ- ian era (4th-7th centuries AD).1 Colchis is one of the regions of late antiquity for which the archaeological evidence of Christianisation is greater and more varied than the literary. Progress during the past decade in the field of early Christian archaeology now enables this process to be described in considerably greater detail.2 The many early Christian monuments of Colchis are found in ancient cities and fortresses that are familiar through the written sources.3 These include Pityus (modern Pitsunda, Abkhazian Mzakhara, Georgian Bichvinta); Nitike (modern Gagra); Trakheia, which is surely Anakopiya (modern Novyi Afon, Abkhazian Psyrtskha); Dioscuria/ * Translated from Russian by Brent Davis. -
Regulating Trans-Ingur/I Economic Relations Views from Two Banks
RegUlating tRans-ingUR/i economic Relations Views fRom two Banks July 2011 Understanding conflict. Building peace. this initiative is funded by the european union about international alert international alert is a 25-year-old independent peacebuilding organisation. We work with people who are directly affected by violent conflict to improve their prospects of peace. and we seek to influence the policies and ways of working of governments, international organisations like the un and multinational companies, to reduce conflict risk and increase the prospects of peace. We work in africa, several parts of asia, the south Caucasus, the Middle east and Latin america and have recently started work in the uK. our policy work focuses on several key themes that influence prospects for peace and security – the economy, climate change, gender, the role of international institutions, the impact of development aid, and the effect of good and bad governance. We are one of the world’s leading peacebuilding nGos with more than 155 staff based in London and 15 field offices. to learn more about how and where we work, visit www.international-alert.org. this publication has been made possible with the help of the uK Conflict pool and the european union instrument of stability. its contents are the sole responsibility of international alert and can in no way be regarded as reflecting the point of view of the european union or the uK government. © international alert 2011 all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without full attribution. -
1 1 the Curse of Displacement
1 2 The curse of displacement: Local narratives of forced expulsion and 3 the appropriation of abandoned property in Abkhazia 4 5 Andrea Peinhopf, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London 6 7 8 Abstract. Since the end of the Georgian-Abkhaz war, the often-precarious status of the Georgians 9 displaced from Abkhazia has received significant academic attention. In contrast, the 10 consequences of displacement from the reverse perspective – how it has affected the people who 11 stayed behind – remains underanalysed. Drawing on narratives collected during several months 12 of ethnographic fieldwork, this paper argues that although ethnic Abkhazians see themselves as 13 victims of ethnic violence rather than perpetrators, the re-distribution of Georgian property 14 nevertheless caused significant distress. Many condemned the practice of appropriation, 15 suggesting that taking what is not one’s own is not only a violation of the property of the original 16 owner, but also of the Abkhaz moral code and therefore shameful. To them, the trophy houses 17 were a curse, both literally – as spaces haunted by former occupants – and metaphorically, as a 18 source and reminder of a certain “moral corruption” within Abkhazian society. However, while 19 the stories around the trophy houses reflect substantial intra-communal divisions, I suggest that 20 they are also an expression of a shared post-war experience. Like the horror stories of Georgian 21 violence, and those of Abkhaz heroism, they have become part of an intimate -
Axes in the Ancient and Early Middle Ages in Iberia-Colchis Irakli Anchabadze
Axes in the Ancient and Early Middle Ages in Iberia-Colchis Irakli Anchabadze An Axe belongs to the type of offensive weapons, which was used in fierce battles. This weapon was used in metal-paved wooden handle for agricultural purposes as well, so it is often difficult to separate between combat and economic axes. Based on the Archaeological data, we can argue that after spear the axe was the most massive weapon in the ancient Colchis-Iberia. In Transcaucasia the iron axes appeared around VIII century BC. Initially they co-existed with Colchis-Koban type bronze axes and repeat them in form. It seems that at this time they mainly had a military purpose; however, it is also possible that they had some religious function as well, as an evidenced we can talk about the many miniature axes discovered in tombs. The bronze and iron axes are usually found in the tombs in the complex of other weapons (most often spearheads). The number of iron axes significantly increases in the monuments of the VII-VI centuries BC and from VI BC only metal samples are to be found [Esaian.., 1985: 79]. At this time similarities with the bronze axes fall apart and the iron axes develop in their own, peculiar forms. The starting point for the classification of Axes is the parts of the shape, width and proportions. For example, the head may be asymmetrical, which means that the head unequally expands from the haft/handle. A symmetrical axe is when it expands evenly on both sides of the haft/handle. -
5 Abkhazia: Living with Insecurity
5 Abkhazia: Living with insecurity Maxim Gvindzhiya Destroyed building in Sukhum(i) PHOTO: ANNA MATVEEVA Summary When conflict with Georgian forces broke out in August 1992, many Abkhaz were armed only with hunting rifles, though more advanced weapons were soon acquired from Russian troops, either by negotiation or unilateral seizure. The SALW used were mostly of Soviet/Russian origin. Since the conflict ended in 1993, SALW have remained widespread. The local population still feels insecure, and in such circumstances, people are reluctant to hand in their weapons. Tension is particularly high in the Gal(i) region, which lies on the de facto Abkhaz border that forms a ceasefire line with Georgia proper. The government of the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia has had some success in regulating SALW proliferation. Legal arms sales are better controlled, and the MOI keeps a register of all individuals who possess arms. Legislation has been passed on the possession and trafficking of firearms. However, whenever tension escalates at the border, guns again become more visible in society. 2 THE CAUCASUS: ARMED AND DIVIDED · ABKHAZIA Traditional gun A close affinity with guns and pastoral gun possession, especially in the mountain culture areas, is rooted in the cultural traditions of the Abkhaz. In the past, an Abkhaz man typically provided his family with food by hunting, fishing or farming and these trad- itions remain strong. Today, coupled with the impact of the war, the Abkhaz attitude to weapons is still largely governed by tradition. Traditional Abkhaz culture stresses the importance of firearms in society, and these ideas are instilled in the Abkhaz from birth. -
Central Asia-Caucasus
Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst BI-WEEKLY BRIEFING VOL. 13 NO. 6 30 MARCH 2011 Searchable Archives with over 1,500 articles at http://www.cacianalyst.org ANALYTICAL ARTICLES: FIELD REPORTS: NEW U.S. THINKING ON CENTRAL ASIA Richard Weitz PAKISTAN SEEKS ACCESS TO CENTRAL ASIAN ELECTRICITY “THE PEOPLE’S IPO” BUILDS Suhrob Majidov ON KAZAKH STABILITY KYRGYZSTAN’S RULING COALITION To n y Pi z u r CLOSE TO COLLAPSE Joldosh Osmonov NEW STRATEGIES EVOLVE IN EUROPE’S SOUTHERN GAS CORRIDOR TURKMENISTAN CELEBRATES FOURTH Robert M. Cutler ANNIVERSARY OF BERDIMUHAMMEDOV’S PRESIDENCY INEQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGHER Tavus Rejepova EDUCATION IN AZERBAIJAN LAND LEASE SCANDAL BLURS PRE-ELECTION Rashad Aliyev CAMPAIGN IN KAZAKHSTAN Georgiy Voloshin NEWS DIGEST Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst BI-WEEKLY BRIEFING VOL. 13 NO. 6 30 MARCH 2011 Contents Analytical Articles NEW U.S. THINKING ON CENTRAL ASIA 3 Richard Weitz “THE PEOPLE’S IPO” BUILDS ON KAZAKH STABILITY 6 Tony Pizur NEW STRATEGIES EVOLVE IN EUROPE’S SOUTHERN GAS CORRIDOR 9 Robert M. Cutler INEQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN AZERBAIJAN 12 Rashad Aliyev Field Reports PAKISTAN SEEKS ACCESS TO CENTRAL ASIAN ELECTRICITY 15 Suhrob Majidov KYRGYZSTAN’S RULING COALITION CLOSE TO COLLAPSE 16 Joldosh Osmonov TURKMENISTAN CELEBRATES FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF 17 BERDIMUHAMMEDOV’S PRESIDENCY Tavus Rejepova LAND LEASE SCANDAL BLURS PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN KAZAKHSTAN 19 Georgiy Voloshin News Digest 21 THE CENTRAL ASIA-CAUCASUS ANALYST Editor: Svante E. Cornell Associate Editor: Niklas Nilsson Assistant Editor, News Digest: Alima Bissenova Chairman, Editorial Board: S. Frederick Starr The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is an English-language journal devoted to analysis of the current issues facing Central Asia and the Caucasus. -
GEORGIA V. RUSSIAN FEDERATION WRITTEN STATEMENT
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE APPLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION GEORGIA v. RUSSIAN FEDERATION WRITTEN STATEMENT OF GEORGIA ON PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS VOLUME I 1 APRIL 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1 Section I. Summary of Argument .............................................................4 Section II. Observations on Russia’s Approach .........................................9 Section III. Structure of the Written Statement ..........................................16 CHAPTER II. RUSSIA’S FIRST PRELIMINARY OBJECTION: WHETHER THERE IS A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PARTIES UNDER THE 1965 CONVENTION .......................17 Section I. Introduction ...........................................................................19 Section II. The Parameters for Determining the Existence of a Legal Dispute ........................................................................29 Section III. Ethnic Discrimination Is Fundamental to Georgia’s Dispute with Russia ..............................................................36 Section IV. Georgia’s Claims Regarding Ethnic Cleansing and Other Violent Acts of Discrimination by Russia’s Armed Forces ........................................................................50 A. The Evidence Pertaining to 8-12 August 2008 .............................51 B. The Evidence Pertaining to the Period Before August 2008 ........58 Section V. Georgia’s -
Obituary Bagapsh
SERGEJ BAGAPSH Sergej Bagapsh, the second president of the Republic of Abkhazia, died in office on 29 May in a Moscow hospital of complications following lung-surgery the previous week. He was 62. Bagapsh was born in Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhum, on 4 March 1949. He trained as an agronomist at the local Institute of Subtropical Agriculture. After military service, however, he made his career in the structure of the Soviet Communist Party, serving in various capacities during most of the 1970s in the youth-organisation known as the Komsomol. But his first prominent position was as First Secretary of the Ochamchira District, home to his family’s native village of Dzhgerda in the south-east of Abkhazia. He occupied this post from 1982 to 1989, which year saw critical developments in Abkhaz-Georgian relations, leading to Abkhazia’s long-desired secession from Georgia in the wake of their bitter war (14 August 1992 – 30 September 1993). Reacting to the threat emanating from Georgian nationalism as the Kremlin’s grip on the Soviet republics slackened under perestrojka, the Abkhazians took steps to protect their interests and opposed the establishment in Sukhum of a branch of Tbilisi State University. The Abkhazians saw this as an attempt to undermine the viability of the Abkhazian State University, only the second institution of higher education in what was then Soviet Georgia. On the night of Saturday 15 July, fatalities occurred in Sukhum as the communities came to blows. Large numbers of armed men rallied to the cause in the neighbouring Georgian province of Mingrelia.