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Georgian–Russian relations are the relations between Georgia and Russia and between the Georgian and Russian people in particular, lasting from the 18th century. During the 18th century, Russia, the Ottoman Empire and Persia vied for control over the strategically important Caucasus region. Eventually Russia won this battle by conquering the lands of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russian occupation of Georgia took place in two steps. In 1783 Georgia signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Empire, placing the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti under Russian patronage. Despite Russia's commitment to defend Georgia, it rendered no assistance when the Persians invaded in 1785, and again in 1795. On December 22, 1800, Tsar Paul I of Russia, at the alleged request of the Georgian King George XII, signed the proclamation on the incorporation of Georgia within the Russian Empire, which was finalized by a decree on January 8, 1801,[1] [2] and confirmed by Tsar Alexander I on September 12, 1801.[3] [4] The Georgian ambassador in Russia reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor Prince Kurakin.[5] In May 1801, Russian General Carl Heinrich Knorring dethroned the Georgian heir to the throne David Batonishvili and instituted a government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev.[6] The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree until April 1802 when General Knorring surrounded the nobility in Tbilisi's Sioni Cathedral and forced them to take an oath on the Imperial Crown of Russia. Those who disagreed were temporarily arrested.[7]  In 1918 the Democratic Republic of Georgia was established. The republic was short-lived, as in 1921 Georgia was invaded and occupied by Bolshevik's, eventually being incorporated into the Soviet Union, in 1922. On August 29, 2008, in the aftermath of the 2008 South Ossetia war, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze announced that Georgia had broken diplomatic relations with Russia. He also said that Russian diplomats must leave Georgia, and that no Georgian diplomat would remain in Russia, while only consular relations would be maintained. Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that Russia regretted this step.[8] [edit] Post-independence relations (1992-2003) . The tensions between Georgia and Russia, which had become tense even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, climaxed during the seccessionist conflict in Abkhazia in 1992-3. Support to the Abkhaz from various groups within Russia such as the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, Cossacks, and regular military units, and support to South Ossetia by their ethnic brethren that lived in Russia's federal subject of North Ossetia proved critical in the de facto secession of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia. In the aftermath of the military setback in Abkhazia in 1993, the Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze had to concede to the Kremlin's pressure. In exchange for Russian support against forces loyal to the ousted Georgian president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, he agreed to join the CIS and legitimize the Russian military bases in Georgia: Vaziani Military Base, Gudauta, Akhalkalaki and Batumi. At the OSCE Istanbul Summit of November 1999, agreement was reached that the bases would all be evacuated by Russia before July 1, 2001[9]. Vaziani was handed over on June 29, 2001. Akhalkalaki was only handed over on June 27, 2007, and Batumi on November 13, 2007. Being in Abkhazia, the base at Gudauta has never been under the control of Georgia. Russia dominates the collective peacekeeping missions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but is criticized by Georgia, and more recently, by several Western diplomats, for failing to maintain neutrality in the conflict zones. Russia accused Georgia of helping Chechen separatists, and some supplies and reinforcements indeed reached the rebels via Georgian territory. The separatists also took refuge in the Pankisi Gorge in eastern Georgia. After Russia had threatened to launch cross-border attacks against them in 2002, the Georgian government took steps to establish order there with help from the USA.[10] [edit] Relations after the Rose Revolution (2003-present) [edit] Rose revolutionMain article: Rose Revolution See also: Georgia and NATO and Georgia and the European Union [edit] AbkhaziaRussia has lost its role as a mediator in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, according to Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili. Speaking in a 2006 interview with a Russian newspaper, Bezhuashvili said that Georgia would try to create channels for "direct dialogue" alongside existing negotiating formats. Bezhuashvili also said that UN monitoring of the Kodori Gorge, which was suspended three years ago, could resume within "two or three weeks" once security has been established. The following is the text of the interview published by Vremya Novostey on 4 August:
Russia has granted citizenship to many residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (see also Russians in Georgia). Tbilisi regularly accuses Moscow of meddling in its internal affairs; Moscow says Tbilisi is preparing for military operations.[12] The Georgian Foreign Ministry accuses Russian peacemakers of inactivity in the conflict zone of Abkhazia. "Russian peacekeepers continue to act in defiance of their mandated obligations, turning a blind eye to gross violation of law and human rights taking place in their very presence", according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry.[13] All international agreements represent an integral part of Georgian legislation and are legally binding throughout the entire territory of Georgia, including Abkhazia. Additionally, the Protocol under paragraph 4 of the Moscow Agreement of 14 May, 1994 stipulates that the CIS peacekeeping forces, while performing their functions, are obliged to comply with the requirements of Georgia’s domestic laws and regulations.[13] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia condemns the separatist regime’s unlawful practices and the inaction of the CIS peacekeepers and believes that in contrast with "our dedicated efforts to establish stability and achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict", the acts of the Abkhazian side "lay bare the genuine character of their destructive and aggressive goals and aspirations."[13] According to the 2005-6 agreements, the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia was completed by January 1, 2008. [edit] Adjara crisisMain article: 2004 Adjara crisis [edit] Russian ban of Georgian winesMain article: 2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines [edit] Spying rowMain article: 2006 Georgian-Russian espionage controversy Georgian-Russian relations deteriorated seriously during the September-October 2006 Georgia-Russia spying row when Georgia detained four Russian officers on spying charges. Russia responded by imposing economic sanctions on Georgia and withdrawing its embassy from Tbilisi. [edit] Deportation of Georgians Main article: 2006 deportation of Georgians from Russia During the spying row, the Russian authorities started to deport Georgian citizens from Russia on charges of visa violations. The government of Georgia as well as influential human rights organizations such as Freedom House and Human Rights Watch accused the Russian authorities of "tolerating and encouraging the mistreatments of immigrants from Georgia and other Caucasus countries."[14] and of "a deliberate campaign to detain and expel thousands of Georgians living in Russia."[15] On 27 March 2007, Georgia filed an interstate lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights over the cases of violations of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the course of the deportation of Georgian citizens from Russia in the autumn of 2006. Russia described this as a "new unfriendly step taken against Russia".[16] [edit] Alleged air space violations[edit] Helicopter attack incidentMain article: 2007 Georgia helicopter incident In March, a village in the Georgian controlled area of Abkhazia was according to Georgia attacked by three Russian helicopters. Russia denied the allegations. [edit] Tsitelubani missile incidentMain article: 2007 Georgia missile incident On August 7, 2007, a missile landed in the Georgian-controlled village of Tsitelubani, some 65 km north of Tbilisi. Georgian officials said that two Russian fighter jets violated its airspace and fired a missile, which fell on the edge of a village but did not explode. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said the incident was part of a pattern of Russian aggression against its neighbors and urged European states to condemn Moscow. Georgia claimed to have radar evidence proving that the invading aircraft flew in from Russia and said that the strike had aimed, unsuccessfully, at destroying radar equipment recently installed near the South Ossetian conflict zone.[17][18] South Ossetian separatist leader Eduard Kokoity described the incident as "a provocation staged by the Georgian side, aimed at discrediting Russia", claiming that another bomb fell in South Ossetia.[19] In his words, "a Georgian military plane crossed into South Ossetia on Monday, performed manoeuvres above Ossetian villages and dropped two bombs."[19] Russia also denied the Georgian claim.[20] and said that Georgian jets may have fired the missile on their own territory as a way of provoking tensions in the region and derailing a session of the Joint Control Commission on Georgian-South Ossetian Conflict Resolution.[21] Georgia immediately denounced the claim as absurdity. South Ossetian officials as well as two Georgian opposition politicians also suggested that the Georgian authorities might have been behind the incident.[22][23][24] [edit] Plane downing incidentMain article: 2007 Georgia plane downing incident [edit] September 2007 controversy over the Russian ambassador's statementOn September 24, 2007, the Russian ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, became embroiled in a controversy over his statement at a televised informal meeting with Georgian intellectuals organized by the Tbilisi-based Russian-Georgian Friendship Union in which he referred to the Georgian people as a "dying-out nation", and announced to the Georgians that they will soon become extinct in the face of globalization while Russia is "a large country, a huge country. It can digest this. You, the Georgians, will fail to digest this."[25] The statements sparked public outrage in Georgia and Kovalenko was summoned by Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for explanations while the opposition factions in the Parliament of Georgia demanded the withdrawal of Kovalenko from Georgia. Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson, Nino Burjanadze, responded to the ambassador’s prediction: "Maybe, certain forces in Russia really want to see the extinction of Georgian nation, but this will not happen… I would advise Mr. Kovalenko to think about Russia and its demographic problems and we will ourselves take care of Georgian problems, including the demographic ones."[26][27] [edit] Georgian demonstrations - alleged Russian involvementMain article: 2007 Georgian demonstrations In a televised address on the day of clashes between protesters and police in Tbilisi on November 7, 2007, Saakashvili said his country faced "a very serious threat of unrest". "High ranking officials in Russian special services are behind this," he said, adding that he had evidence. He said several Russian diplomats would be expelled from Georgia for engaging in "espionage". Earlier he had recalled Georgia's ambassador to Moscow, Irakly Chubinishvili, for "consultations".[28][29] "Moscow regards the latest idiocy by Georgian authorities as political irresponsible provocation. An appropriate response will be made, and Russia will remain true to its commitments regarding assisting in the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts and the protection of Russian nationals living there," the Russian Foreign Ministry statement said.[30] [edit] 2008 crisisMain article: 2008 Georgia-Russia crisis [edit] April 2008 Georgian drone downing incidentOn April 20, 2008 a Georgian unmanned unarmed aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down over the Abkhazian conflict zone. Abkhazia's separatist administration immediately said its own forces shot down the drone because it was violating Abkhaz airspace and breached ceasefire agreements. Garry Kupalba, deputy defence minister of the unrecognised Republic of Abkhazia, told reporters the drone had been shot down by an "L-39 aircraft of the Abkhaz Air Force". He also identified the drone as an Israeli-made Hermes 450.[31] However, Georgia's defence ministry released video the next day showing what appears to be a Russian MiG-29 shooting down the unarmed Georgian drone. According to Georgia the jet came from Gudauta and then returned to Russia. Moscow denied Georgia’s accusation and stressed that none of its planes were in the region at the time.[32][33] Furthermore, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement accusing Georgia of violating the 1994 Moscow agreement and United Nations resolutions on Abkhazia by deploying without authorisation a UAV (which also can be used to direct fire) in the Security Zone and the Restricted Weapons Zone.[34] On April 24, a closed-door U.N. Security Council emergency session, convened at Georgia’s request, failed to resolve the dispute, but the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Germany issued a joint statement expressing their concern over Russia’s recent moves in Abkhazia and calling Moscow to reverse or not to implement its decision to legalize the ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Russian ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin called the demand by the Western states "a tall order" and stressed that Russia had no intention of reversing its plans.[35] Although Moscow denies that a MiG-class fighter was involved in the incident, the Russian envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, has suggested that a MiG-29 belonging to a NATO member might have downed the Georgian spy plane. In response, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has reportedly remarked that he would "eat his tie if it turned out that a NATO MiG-29 had magically appeared in Abkhazia and shot down a Georgian drone."[36] On May 26, 2008, the U.N. mission released the conclusion of its independent investigation into the incident. It confirmed that the Georgian video footage and radar data were authentic and the jet which destroyed the drone was indeed Russian. The conclusion report said that the jet flew towards the Russian territory after the incident, but it was unclear where the attacker took off, naming the Gudauta base as a possible locality. The mission also noted that "a reconnaissance mission by a military aircraft, whether manned or unmanned, constituted 'military action' and therefore contravened the ceasefire accord.[37] Georgia hailed the report,[38] but Russia dismissed it.[39] [edit] Military buildup in AbkhaziaThe UAV incident triggered a new rise in tensions between the two countries. Russia accused Georgia of trying to exploit the NATO support to solve the Abkhazia problem by force and of sending its troops in the Georgia-controlled upper Kodori Valley in northeast Abkhazia. However, the U.N. monitors in Abkhazia stated earlier in April they did not observe any military buildup on either side of the demilitarization line. On April 29, Russia announced it would increase its military presence in the region and threatened to retaliate militarily against Georgia’s efforts. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, it has increased the number of its peacekeepers in Abkhazia to 2,542 peacekeepers, which is 458 short of the 3,000 limit set by agreement.[40] The Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze said Georgia would treat any additional troops in Abkhazia as aggressors while President Saakashvili, in his televised address, pledged to pursue only a peaceful line in the conflict areas and called upon the Abkhaz and Ossetians to unite with Georgia in defying attempts by "outrageous and irresponsible external force to trigger bloodshed".[41] The European Union also urged caution, saying to increase troop numbers would be "unwise" given current tensions, while the United States has called on Russia "to reconsider some provocative steps" it had taken in respect of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia.[42] Georgia also suspended the talks regarding Russia's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and threatened to veto the process.[43] Georgian officials claim Russia is changing facts on the ground in order to make it impossible for NATO foreign ministers to give Georgia a Membership Action Plan when they meet in December 2008.[44] In the meantime, the Russian Cossacks and North Caucasian mountaineers declared their readiness to fight Georgia again in the case of a renewed confrontation in Abkhazia as they did early in the 1990s.[45] On May 6, 2008, the Georgian state minister for reintegration Temur Iakobashvili said Georgia was on the verge of war with Russia.[46] Georgia requested the U.N. mission to inquire into the number and deployment of the Russian peacekeeping troops in Abkhazia. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the chief U.N. observer "agreed that actions by the Russian side do not contradict basic agreements on the conduct of the peacekeeping operation", but the mission later responded to this statement, declaring that it "has no authority to pronounce on the conformity between the CIS peacekeeping operation in the Zone of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict and CIS rules."[47] Early in May 2008, both Russian and Abkhaz sides claimed that three more Georgian reconnaissance drones were shot over Abkhazia, and declared that Georgia was preparing to mount an offensive into the region in the near future. The Abkhaz foreign minister Sergei Shamba asked Russia to place Abkhazia under Russia's military control in exchange for security guarantees.[48] Georgia denied these allegations, stating that it was "a provocation aimed at propagandistic support of Russia’s military intervention."[49] [edit] Russian involvement in South OssetiaMain article: War in South Ossetia (2008) On August 8, 2008, after Georgian troops tried to reclaim the breakaway province and launched an offensive involving heavy bombing of Tskhinvali, Russian troops entered South Ossetia. Russian Troops also entered into Abkhazia. On August 10, 2008 Russia entered Georgian territorial waters. Russia also entered into Georgian cities, and captured the main east west highway, effectively cutting the country in two. Both sides agreed to a cease-fire on August 12, 2008, but on August 13, 2008 Russia violated that cease-fire and sent troops and paramilitaries into the Georgian city of Gori. [edit] Russian recognition of the breakaway regions and the severance of diplomatic relations between Georgia and RussiaOn 25 August 2008, the Federal Assembly of Russia unanimously voted to urge President Medvedev to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.[50] On the following day, Medvedev agreed, signing a decree officially recognizing the two entities.[51] Georgia has rejected this move outright as an annexation of its territory;[52] Western nations such as the United States and Germany have also opposed such a decision.[53] In response to Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Georgian government announced that the country was severing diplomatic relations with Russia.[54] [edit] References
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