High atop a mountain chain in western Turkey stands Mezit village, a hamlet founded in the 19th century by Abkhaz rebels on the run from Tsarist Russian troops. More than 130 years later, Mezit's Abkhaz residents now have one goal -- to return to Abkhazia, where Russian troops are now a welcome presence.
Georgia and Russia stood at the brink of an all-out conflict August 8, after Georgian Interior Ministry units opened a campaign to retake the separatist territory of South Ossetia. Civilians were scrambling to escape the conflict zone, amid reports that Russian armor and aircraft had entered the conflict.
Trying to prevent developments from spiraling out of control, Georgia has declared a cease-fire following an outburst of heavy fighting with separatist forces in the breakaway region of South Ossetia on August 7. Georgia is blaming Russia for the escalation of violence.
For the self-declared Republic of Abkhazia, the Games offer a chance to show the world that Abkhazia exists and that it can stand on its own feet. The question is whether its economy can be ready in time.
The XXII Olympic Winter Games may still be six years away, but at vendors' stalls in the northern Abkhaz resort town of Gagra, the Sochi 2014 paraphernalia is already blowing in the breeze. Its presence is no accident.
The XXII Olympic Winter Games may still be six years away, but at vendors' stalls in the northern Abkhaz resort town of Gagra, the Sochi 2014 paraphernalia is already blowing in the breeze. Its presence is no accident.
As part of a growing Euro-Atlantic campaign to reduce tensions between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway region of Abkhazia, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza traveled to Sukhumi on July 25 to push for Abkhaz participation in international peace talks in Berlin. The trip is the second for the senior American diplomat since May.
As part of a growing Euro-Atlantic campaign to reduce tensions between Georgia and Russia over the breakaway region of Abkhazia, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza traveled to Sukhumi on July 25 to push for Abkhaz participation in international peace talks in Berlin. The trip is the second for the senior American diplomat since May.
The July 6 explosion ripped through the Svetlyachok (Firefly) café in Gali, a predominantly ethnic Georgian town in southern Abkhazia, leaving four people dead and six badly injured. The explosion -- which occurred directly across from the Russian peacekeeping headquarters for the region -- followed a series of blasts in the Abkhaz towns of Gagra and Sukhumi.
The Upper Kodori Gorge, the only part of breakaway Abkhazia still governed by Georgia, has emerged in recent weeks as a flashpoint in relations between Tbilisi and Moscow. To Abkhaz separatists, it is the launch pad for a potential attack. To Georgians, it is a symbol of their intentions to regain Abkhazia without conflict.
