Abkhazia (Republic of Abkhazia) - Claims independence, but Georgia also claims sovereignty of Abkhazia as an autonomous region. When Georgia was seeking independence from the Soviet Union in the late 1980's, ethnic tension began to build, as the Abkhaz's wished to remain part of the USSR. The 1992-3 War In Abkhazia resulted in a defeat for Georgia, by the Russian-backed Abkhaz's, and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia. A ceasefire was agreed in 1994, but it has since been broken many times, most recently in 2008 while the South Ossetia War was ongoing. After that battle, UN and CIS peacekeeping forces were pulled out, and with Russia formally recognising Abkhazia's independence, it became a de facto state. Abkhazia is recognised by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nauru.
Related Dispute:
South Ossetia |
