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South Ossetia

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   Хуссар Ирыстон
   სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქი
   South Ossetia
   Flag of South Ossetia Coat of arms of South Ossetia
   Flag                  Coat of arms
   Anthem: (Unknown)
   Location of South Ossetia
   Capital Tskhinvali
   Largest city nao sei
   Official languages Ossetian, Russian, Georgian
   Government De facto separatist
    - President Eduard Djabeevich Kokoity
    - Prime Minister Yury Morozov
   Independence
    - Declared November 28, 1991
    - Recognition unrecognized
   Area
    - Total  km²
    sq mi
   Population
    - 2004 estimate 70,000 ( n/a)
    - n/a census n/a
    - Density 18/km² ( n/a)
   n/a/sq mi
   Currency Russian ruble, Georgian lari^1 ( n/a)
   Time zone ( UTC+3)
   Internet TLD
   ^1 Used exclusively in Georgian-populated areas.

   South Ossetia ( Ossetian: Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон, Respublikæ Xussar
   Iryston; Russian: Южная Осетия, Yuzhnaya Osetiya; Georgian: სამხრეთ
   ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქი, Samkhret Oseti ) is a self-proclaimed republic
   within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia. Although this
   former Soviet autonomous oblast (region) has declared its independence
   and is in de facto control of significant part of the region, its
   separation from Georgia has not been recognized by any other country
   and is regarded a de jure part of the Georgian region ( mkhare) of
   Shida Kartli. Georgia does not recognise the region as a distinct
   entity, instead referring to it by either the medieval name of
   Samachablo or, more recently, Tskhinvali region (after the republic's
   capital). The republic has held a second independence referendum on
   November 12, 2006, after its first referendum in 1992 was not
   recognized by the international community as valid.. As expected the
   referendum turned out a majority for independence from Georgia.
   However, it is not recognized internationally by the European Union,
   OSCE and the United States, given the lack of ethnic Georgian
   participation.

History

Medieval and early modern period

   The Ossetians are originally descendants of Iranian-speaking tribes
   from Central Asia. They became Christians during the early Middle Ages,
   under Georgian influence. Under Mongol rule, they were pushed out of
   their medieval homeland south of the Don river in present-day Russia
   and part migrated towards and over the Caucasus mountains, to Georgia
   where they formed three distinct territorial entities. Digor in the
   west came under the influence of the neighboring Kabard people, who
   introduced Islam. Tualläg in the south became what is now South
   Ossetia, part of the historical Georgian principality of Samachablo
   where Ossetians found refuge from Mongol invaders. Iron in the north
   became what is now North Ossetia, under Russian rule from 1767. Most
   Ossetians are now Christian (approximately 61%); there is also a
   significant Muslim minority.

South Ossetia under Russia and the Soviet Union

   The modern-day South Ossetia was annexed by Russia in 1801, along with
   Georgia proper, and absorbed into the Russian Empire. Following the
   Russian Revolution, South Ossetia became a part of the Menshevik
   Georgian Democratic Republic, while the north became a part of the
   Terek Soviet Republic. The area saw brief clashes between the Georgian
   governmental forces and Ossetians led by Ossetian and Georgian
   bolsheviks in 1920.
   South Ossetia detailed map
   Enlarge
   South Ossetia detailed map

   The Soviet Georgian government established by the Russian 11th Red Army
   in 1921, created the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast (i.e. district)
   in April 1922. Although the Ossetians had its own language ( Ossetian),
   Russian and Georgian were administrative/state languages. At present,
   Russian is the only administrative language used by the separatist
   government in Tskhinvali. In the Soviet time, under the rule of
   Georgia's government, it enjoyed some degree of autonomy, including to
   practice ( Ossetian) language and teach it in schools.

Georgian-Ossetian conflict

   The tensions in the region began to rise amid the rising nationalism
   among both Georgians and Ossetians in 1989. Prior to this, the two
   communities had been living in peace with each other except for the
   episode in 1920. Both ethnicities have had a high level of interaction
   and high rates of intermarriages.

   In the same year, the influential South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon
   Nykhas) demanded unification with North Ossetia as a measure to defend
   Ossetian autonomy. On 10 November 1989, the South Ossetian Supreme
   Soviet approved a decision to unite South Ossetia with the North
   Ossetian ASSR, part of Russia. A day later, the Georgian parliament
   revoked the decision and abolished South Ossetian autonomy.
   Additionally, the parliament authorized the suppression of newspapers
   and demonstrations.

   Following Georgia's independence in 1991 under the nationalist leader
   Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the Georgian government declared Georgian to be the
   only administrative language throughout the country (Georgian was a
   state/administrative language throughout the soviet time along with
   Russian and it was written so both in the 1936 and 1979 constitutions
   of Georgian Soviet Socialists Republic). This caused great concern in
   South Ossetia, whose leaders demanded that Ossetian become the language
   of their state. The Ossetian minority continued to seek greater levels
   of autonomy, but were faced with increasing nationalist sentiment among
   the Georgian majority. Violent conflict broke out towards the end of
   1991 during which many South Ossetian villages were attacked and burned
   down as well as Georgian houses and schools in Tskhinvali, the capital
   of South Ossetia. As a result, approximately 1,000 died and
   60,000-100,000 refugees fled the region, most across the border into
   North Ossetia or into Georgia proper. Many South Ossetians were
   resettled in uninhabited areas of North Ossetia from which the Ingush
   had been expelled by Stalin in 1944, leading to conflicts between
   Ossetians and Ingush over the right of residence in former Ingush
   territory. Only 15% of the Ossetian population now lives in South
   Ossetia.
   The monument to the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in
   Tskhinvali
   Enlarge
   The monument to the victims of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict in
   Tskhinvali

   In 1992, Georgia was forced to accept a ceasefire to avoid a large
   scale confrontation with Russia. The government of Georgia and South
   Ossetian separatists reached an agreement to avoid the use of force
   against one another, and Georgia pledged not to impose sanctions
   against South Ossetia. A peacekeeping force of Ossetians, Russians and
   Georgians was established. On November 6 1992, the Organization for
   Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) set up a Mission in Georgia
   to monitor the peacekeeping operation. From then, until mid-2004 South
   Ossetia was generally peaceful. In June 2004, tensions began to rise as
   the Georgian authorities strengthened their efforts against smuggling
   in the region. Hostage takings, shootouts and occasional bombings left
   dozens dead and wounded. A ceasefire deal was reached on August 13
   though it was repeatedly violated. Presently the situation is tense
   though largely peaceful, although Moscow and Tskhinvali view the recent
   Georgian arms build-up with concern. In the last year or so Georgia has
   purchased SU-25 fighter bombers from Republic of Macedonia and
   Bulgaria, as well as Mi-8 "Hip" helicopters from Ukraine, and its army
   is being trained by US Marine instructors. The Georgian government
   protests against the continually increasing Russian economic and
   political presence in the region, as well as the uncontrolled military
   of the South Ossetian side.

Politics

   Georgian-Russian
   relations

   Events
     * Georgian-Ossetian conflict
     * Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
     * Rose Revolution
     * Adjara crisis
     * Gas pipeline sabotage
     * Ban of wines
     * Kodori crisis
     * Espionage controversy

   Primary parties involved
     * Georgia
          + Abkhazia
          + South Ossetia
          + Adjara
     * Russia

   The Republic of South Ossetia is not a territorially contiguous entity.
   It is, instead, something of a checkerboard of Georgian-inhabited and
   Ossetian-inhabited towns and villages in an arc around the largely
   Ossetian city of Tskhinvali. The capital and most of the other
   Ossetian-inhabited communities are governed by the separatist
   government in Tskhinvali, while the Georgian-inhabited villages are
   governed by the Georgian government. This close proximity and the
   intermixing of the two communities has made the conflict in South
   Ossetia particularly dangerous, as any attempt to create an ethnically
   pure territory would necessarily have to involve population transfer on
   a large scale.

   The political dispute has, however, yet to be resolved and the South
   Ossetian separatist authorities still govern the region with effective
   independence from Tbilisi. Although talks have been held periodically
   between the two sides, little progress was made under the government of
   Eduard Shevardnadze ( 1993– 2003). His successor Mikheil Saakashvili
   (elected 2004) made the reassertion of Georgian governmental authority
   a political priority. Having successfully put an end to the de facto
   independence of the southwestern province of Ajaria in May 2004, he
   pledged to seek a similar solution in South Ossetia. After the 2004
   clashes, the Georgian government has intensified its efforts to bring
   the problem to international attention. On January 25, 2005, President
   Saakashvili presented a Georgian vision for resolving the South
   Ossetian conflict at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
   Europe (PACE) session in Strasbourg. Late in October, the U.S.
   Government and the OSCE expressed their support to the Georgian action
   plan presented by Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli at the OSCE Permanent
   Council at Vienna on October 27, 2005. On December 6, the OSCE
   Ministerial Council in Ljubljana unanimously adopted a resolution
   supporting the Georgian peace plan which was subsequently rejected by
   the South Ossetian de facto authorities.

   On August 26, 2006, the high-ranking delegation of the United States
   Senators led by the Arizona Senator John McCain paid a visit to the
   Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. The group visited Tskhinvali and met
   with the de facto leader Eduard Kokoity. Speaking about his visit to
   Tskhinvali, Senator McCain said that the trip was "not very
   productive." Senator McCain said:


   South Ossetia

   Because there was not a direct response to our questions about why OSCE
   has been blocked from doing its job; why there has been no progress on
   peace initiatives from Georgia, from the UN, from the OSCE, from other
    organizations - there has been no progress. I think that the attitude
    there is best described by what you see by driving in [Tskhinvali]: a
   very large billboard with a picture of Vladimir Putin on it, which says
   'Vladimir Putin Our President'. I do not believe that Vladimir Putin is
      now, or ever should be, the President of sovereign Georgian soil.


   South Ossetia

   Two days later, on August 28, Senator Richard Lugar, then visiting
   Georgia's capital Tbilisi, joined the Georgian politicians in criticism
   of the Russian peacekeeping mission, stating that "the U.S.
   administration supports the Georgian government’s insistence on the
   withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the conflict zones in Abkhazia
   and the Tskhinvali district."

   On September 11, 2006, the South Ossetian Information and Press
   Committee announced that the republic will hold an independence
   referendum (the first referendum was not recognized by the
   international community as valid in 1992 ) on November 12, 2006. The
   voters will decide on whether or not South Ossetia "should preserve its
   present de facto status of an independent state". Georgia denounced the
   move as a "political absurdity". However, On September 13, 2006, the
   Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Terry Davis commented on the
   problem, stating that


   South Ossetia

    The secessionist authorities of the South Ossetian region of Georgia
     are wasting time and effort on the organisation of a "referendum on
   independence" in November... I do not think that anyone will recognise
      the result of such a referendum. If the people in power in South
     Ossetia are genuinely committed to the interest of the people they
   claim to represent, they should engage in meaningful negotiations with
    the Georgian government in order to find a peaceful, internationally
                              accepted outcome.


   South Ossetia

   On September 13, 2006 EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus,
   Peter Semneby, while visiting Moscow, said: "results of the South
   Ossetian independence referendum will have no meaning for the European
   Union". Peter Semneby also added that this referendum will not
   contribute to the peaceful conflict resolution process in South Ossetia

   On October 5, 2006, Javier Solana, the High Representative for the
   Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, ruled out the
   possibility of replacing the Russian peacekeepers with the EU force."
   However, on October 10, EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby admitted
   that "Russia's actions in the Georgia spy row have damaged its
   credibility as a neutral peacekeeper in the EU's Black Sea
   neighbourhood."

   South Ossetians nearly unanimously approved a referendum on November
   12, 2006 opting for independence from Georgia. The referendum was
   hugely popular, winning between 98 and 99 percent of the ballots, flag
   waving and celebration marked were seen across South Ossetia, but
   elsewhere observers were less enthusiastic. International critics
   claimed that the move could worsen regional tensions, and the Tblisis
   government thoroughly discounted the results. "Everybody needs to
   understand, once and for all, that no amount of referendums or
   elections will move Georgia to give up that which belongs to the
   Georgian people by God's will," declared Georgi Tsagareishvili, leader
   of the Industralist's bloc in Georgia's parliament. On November 13,
   Terry Davis, head of the 46-nation Council of Europe, called the
   referendum on "independence" as "unnecessary, unhelpful and unfair"
   because ethnic Georgians were not given the right to vote in it.

Geography

   South Ossetia covers an area of about 3,900km² on the southern side of
   the Caucasus, separated by the mountains from the more populous North
   Ossetia (part of Russia) and extending southwards almost to the Mtkvari
   river in Georgia. It is extremely mountainous, with most of the region
   lying over 1,000m (3,300ft) above sea level. Its economy is primarily
   agricultural, although less than 10% of South Ossetia's land area is
   cultivated, with cereals, fruit and vines the major produce. Forestry
   and cattle industries are also maintained. A number of industrial
   facilities also exist, particularly around the capital Tskhinvali.

Economy

   Following a war with Georgia in the 1990s, South Ossetia has struggled
   economically. Employment and supplies are scarce. Additionally, Georgia
   cut off supplies of electricity to the region, which forced the South
   Ossetian government to run an electric cable through North Ossetia. The
   majority of the population survives on subsistence farming. In addition
   to its economic problems, unclear political perspectives, thousands of
   refugees, and an illegal drug and arms trade have made the region
   unstable again in the last few years. Virtually the only significant
   economic asset that South Ossetia possesses is control of the Roki
   Tunnel that links Russia and Georgia, from which the South Ossetian
   government reportedly obtains as much as a third of its budget by
   levying customs duties on freight traffic.

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