MOSCOW SUMMIT RAISES HOPES FOR PROGRESS IN THE ABKHAZIA PEACE PROCESS
A EurasiaNet Photo Essay by Justyna Mielnikiewicz and Ruben Mangasaryan: 2/13/04

Recent talks in Moscow between Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Russian leaders appeared to provide fresh momentum to the often troubled search for lasting peace in the Georgian territory of Abkhazia. Saakashvili predicted "an energetic effort" to resolve the decade-plus Abkhazia dilemma, which would mark a significant step for the Georgian president in achieving his goal of reestablishing the country’s territorial integrity.

During his February 10-12 visit to Moscow, Saakashvili and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to restart tripartite negotiations to determine Abkhazia’s political status. Abkhazia, with Moscow’s backing, established de facto independence by defeating Tbilisi’s forces during a1992-3 conflict. Since then Georgian, Abkhaz and Russian leaders have struggled to negotiate a formal settlement of the conflict.

Saakashvili and Putin pledged to follow established negotiating guidelines, including the so-called Sochi principles, which were established during a 2003 summit between the Russian president and former Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze. A main provision of the Sochi agreement was the return of refugees and internally displaced persons.

"I think this year will be marked by energetic steps," Saakashvili told journalists during a Moscow news conference at the conclusion of his visit.

"We will do everything possible to ensure that the return of refugees (and IDPs) precedes everything else, such as issues of economic rehabilitation, infrastructure and so on – and even talks on Abkhazia’s status," Saakashvili said.

Georgian officials and political analysts have said in the past that Russia’s hegemonic attitude constituted one of the chief impediments to an Abkhazia solution. Saakashvili said that he now feels that Russian ideas on Abkhazia are changing. "I did not get a feeling that there was any of the imperialist hegemony that marked Russian policy in the 1990s, which is very good," Saakashvili said of his talks with Russian leaders.

Despite the apparent willingness of both Georgian and Russian leaders to press for a solution, an Abkhazia settlement will likely prove difficult to achieve. Abkhaz leaders appear determined to pursue outright independence, while Saakashvili has made the Georgian territorial integrity issue one of the cornerstones of his presidency. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The Abkhaz conflict created approximately 200,000 refugees/IDPs, many of them ethnic Georgians who were forced to flee following the military defeat of Tbilisi’s forces. For over a decade, a ceasefire has existed, monitored by a Russian-led peacekeeping force. Over this span, social, economic and political conditions in the territory have struggled to develop. The current situation is highly volatile, particularly in the Gali District near the Georgian-Abkhaz frontier, where the majority of ethnic Georgians live. Today perhaps 40,000 or more Georgians have returned to their homes in Gali but the lack of work, a high crime rate and absence of law and order continue to frustrate refugee/IDP return. Sukhumi, the Abkhaz capital, remains visibly scarred by warfare.

As these photos by Justyna Mielnikiewicz and Ruben Mangasaryan underscore, the lack of a peace settlement has had a debilitating impact on living conditions for those in Abkhazia. Refugee and IDP return will doubtless place tremendous strain on an already tenuous social infrastructure. Indeed, a political settlement would likely mark merely the start of an arduous effort to restore a sense of normalcy in the region.

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Posted February 13, 2004 © Eurasianet
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