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ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIO-POLITICAL SITUATION of THE Mountainous region OF THE GURIA AND KHULO MUNICIPALITIES 2019 POLICY PAPER Analysis of the Socio-Political Situation of the Mountainous Region of the Guria and Khulo Municipalities POLICY PAPER 2019 Editor: EKATERINE METREVELI Researchers: ZURAB BATIASHVILI ALEXANDER KVAKHADZE Concealer: RUSUDAN MARGISHVILI All rights reserved and belong to the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government›s official policies. © 2019 Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies ISBN 978-9941-8-1871-4 ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIO-POLITICAL SITUATION OF THE MOUNTAINOUS REGION OF THE GURIA AND KHULO MUNICIPALITIES | ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study is to analyze the social and economic problems in the Khulo municipality and the mountainous region of Guria and identify ways to solve them. It is noteworthy that both the internal socio- economic challenges and the current geopolitical reality are greatly influencing the region. The paper examines the challenges facing the region in the fields of religion, political engagement, education and socio-economic development. The combination of these problems to some extent impedes the region’s progress and its full integration into Georgia’s social and political space. The work has been produced under the auspices of the United Kingdom Good Governance Fund and the British Good Governance Fund in the framework of the Rondeli Foundation’s project entitled Promoting Participation and Engagement in Local Governance in the Mountainous region of Guria and Adjara. | INTRODUCTION The Khulo municipality and the mountainous region of Guria are among the most diverse and economically viable strategic regions of Georgia, although less studied and their economic potential under-utilized. Moreover, the mainstream media is actually paying less attention to these regions. Our present study area includes the Khulo municipality, the borough of Nasakirali (Ozurgeti municipality) and the village of Zoti (Chokhatauri municipality). The Khulo municipality is located in the distant eastern part of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. The municipality is connected by road to the Shuakhevi municipality and also by road through the Goderdzi Pass - to the Adigeni municipality. The Khulo municipality is connected to the Chokhatauri municipality with walking trails which are used extensively by the population of highland villages involved in animal husbandry. According to the 2014 census, the population of the Khulo municipality is 23,327.1 The populated areas of the Khulo municipality are located in four valleys: Adjaristskali, Diakonidzeebistskali, Skhalta and Gorjomi. The Khulo municipality comprises 79 settlements which are united in 13 administrative units: Khulo 1 National Statistics Office of Georgia, census data. Accessible: https://www.geostat.ge/ka/modules/ categories/124/methodologia-mosakhleobis-aghtsera-da-demografia/method 1 town, Ghorjomi, Agara, Satsikhuri, Didachara, Riketi, Dioknisi, Dekanashvili, Vashlovani, Skhalta, Pushrukauli, Khikhadziri and Tkilvana.2 The village of Zoti is located in the upper reaches of the Gubazeuli River. The rural population in 2014 was 893 and in 2002 – 1,175.3 The majority of the population is from the Gorjomi gorge situated in the Khulo municipality. Nasakirali town is located on the Guria side in the Ozurgeti municipality. Most of the Nasakirali population is also from Upper Adjara. Nasakirali has a population of 2,898 people.4 In addition, a small number of Russians, Armenians, Yazidis, Azeris and up to 30 families of Muslim Meskhetians live in Nasakirali. The majority of the population in these areas is Sunni Muslim although there are also a small number of Orthodox Christians. Most of the population is ethnic Georgian. | REGIONAL CONTEXT The local and geopolitical developments in the region greatly influence the mountainous region of Guria and Upper Adjara. It should also be noted that the oil pipelines passing through the Guria region and the Supsa terminal had no impact on the mountainous region of the region. Moreover, at present the Guria region is one of the poorest parts of Georgia by per capita GDP.5 The disproportionate development of the Adjara region should also be mentioned. It is attributed to the concentration of economic resources in coastal Adjara while its highland area receives less attention. All of this increases unemployment and migration both inside and outside the country. The neighboring Republic of Turkey is of great importance for the population of Adjara and Guria. Due to the difficult social situation in the region, thousands of inhabitants of these areas are engaged in seasonal work in the east of Turkey. Such economic ties are compounded by the desire of religious groups in the neighboring country to closely cooperate with Muslim clerics in Guria and Adjara. Although people from different denominations have been living together in the region for years, at times disagreements arise and this plays a negative role. Sensitive issues such as delaying the construction of the Batumi mosque or mounting a pig’s head on the Kobuleti Muslim madrassa have been skillfully used to deepen religious hatred in Georgia by Russian propaganda media, so- called “trolls” and fake news pages. 2 Resolution of the Khulo Municipality Council N29. 2014 November 7. Accessible: https://matsne.gov.ge/ ka/document/view/2572894?publication=0 3 National Statistics Office of Georgia, census data. Available: https://www.geostat.ge/ka/modules/ categories/124/methodologia-mosakhleobis-aghtsera-da-demografia/method 4 National Statistics Office of Georgia, census data. Available: https://www.geostat.ge/ka/modules/ categories/124/methodologia-mosakhleobis-aghtsera-da-demografia/method 5 National Statistics Office of Georgia, Gross Regional Product Statistics of Georgian Regions. Available: https://www.geostat.ge/index.php/ka/modules/categories/93/regionuli-statistika 2 The Syrian conflict has also had some impact on the region. For the first time in the history of Georgia, the inhabitants of Adjara and Guria openly appeared in the global jihad. To be sure, this was not a mass issue; however, even this slight mobilization clearly points to the cluster of social, political and integration problems in the region. Against the background of the dynamic developments in the region, Georgia must have a deeper understanding of the situation in the strategic Upper Adjara and the mountainous region of Guria and develop an action plan for the region. The present study aims to facilitate precisely this. | METHODOLOGY For research purposes, we have selected Nasakirali town in the Ozurgeti municipality, the village of Zoti in the Chokhatauri municipality and the entire Khulo municipality. In the framework of the study we had eight visits to various settlements in Zoti, Nasakirali and the Khulo municipality. We also held two roundtables in Tbilisi. During these events, we spoke to the following categories of people: central and local government officials, city council members, village/ town appointees and their representatives, Muslim and Orthodox clergy, school principals and teachers, farmers and rural residents. In addition, we were introduced to different existing development strategies of the Guria and Khulo municipalities. We have also studied media publications that relate to these regions. We became acquainted with the research on the issues of interest to our region or community and talked to the stakeholders involved as well as to representatives of various central or regional governments. The present work is descriptive in nature. Following the introductory section, we will discuss the various problems in the region. Sections are devoted to religion and radicalization, politics and civil society, socio-economic condition and education. At the end of the paper, taking into account the available information, we have developed recommendations for the authorities, religious organizations, NGOs and the media. | KEY PLAYERS IN THE REGION Governmental Branches - Central Government, Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the Supreme Council, Guria Governorate, city halls and assemblies of municipalities and representatives of the territorial bodies play a major role in our research. These agencies undertake budgeting and execution, implementation of various infrastructure projects, the resolution of economic and social issues and other statutory powers. It is noteworthy that municipal 3 assemblies are made up through mixed, proportional and majoritarian principals. The Khulo Municipality Council is staffed entirely by local staff. As for Nasakirali and Zoti, these territorial authorities are represented by one majoritarian MP in Ozurgeti and at Chokhatauri City Hall. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Regional Offices of SSA (State Security Agency), whose job practices do not differ across other regions, are outstanding from the law enforcement agencies operating in the region. There is a regional unit of the SSA Counter-Terrorism Department in Guria and Adjara which is tasked with combating potential terrorist organizations in the region. Since the Khulo municipality and the village of Zoti have a highland settlement status, the Regional and Mountain Development Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure is responsible for the development