Hasan Kanbolat, Director of ORSAM
Sergei
Bagapsh won again in the Dec. 12 presidential elections held in
Abkhazia, which has declared a one-sided (de facto) independence from
Georgia. These elections were his second victory; he had won against
Raul Hadjimba in presidential elections held on Oct. 3, 2004.
During
his election campaign Bagapsh had vowed to develop the country’s
economy, raise living standards and increase wages. He also said that
in terms of foreign policy, economic and political ties would be
strengthened with the Russian Federation, which recognizes Abkhazia’s
independence. In his first term as president, from 2005 to 2009,
Bagapsh lifted the economic embargo imposed by the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) between 1996 and 2008. In this way, the
Abkhazian economy was enlivened as 1.3 million tourists began visiting
the country annually, and the country began to renew itself.
Preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, three
hours away from the capital, Sukhum, have also contributed to the
economic revival. The August 2008 war (the Five-Day War) ensured the
addition of Upper Kodor to Abkhazia. On Aug. 26, 2008 the Russian
Federation recognized Abkhazia’s independence.
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In 2009, Abkhazia adopted a
multifaceted foreign policy initiative. It began creating ties with
nations not under the influence of the US and NATO. Through this
multifaceted foreign policy initiative, after Russia, they gained
recognition from Nicaragua and Venezuela. Abkhazian parliamentarians
went to Latin America and requested support for their country. Most
recently, on Dec. 14, the Pacific island state of Nauru recognized
Abkhazia, meaning that four UN members recognize the state’s
independence. Nauru’s membership in the Commonwealth of Nations is
important also in cracking open a new door for increased recognition of
Abkhazia’s independence. But it is also important to recall that Nauru,
which struggled against the British Empire in the 1960s for its
independence, which it gained in 1967, was first recognized as
independent by the Soviet Union, which was also the first to support
its struggle.
The Bagapsh administration has also placed a
priority on developing relations with those of Abkhazian descent who
live outside Abkhazia and with the nations that they live in. As part
of this political initiative, relations are being strengthened with
countries such as Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and Abkhazians
living in the EU nations. But with a change made to Abkhazian election
law, Abkhazian citizens who live abroad and have the right to vote
could only do so in the Russian cities of Moscow and Cherkessk. As for
the roughly 600,000 Abkhazian citizens living in Turkey and the
Abkhazian citizens with the right to vote living in other nations, they
didn’t have the opportunity to cast votes.
While during his
first term in office Bagapsh was the president of a “de facto” state,
he is now the head of state in a country that has begun to be
recognized as “de jure.” For this reason, history has placed great
responsibility upon his shoulders during his second term. In the next
10 years, Abkhazia will choose to become a mini satellite of the
Russian Federation and become the next money laundering site for the
Russian oligarchy after Cyprus. Or, protecting its good relations with
Russia, it will try new ways to establish better relations with the
nations of the world, beginning with its region.
This article was first published in Today's Zaman on 25 December 2009
Source: ORSAM |