Kodori Valley
Encyclopedia
The Kodori Valley is a river valley in Abkhazia
, Georgia
's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia, directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia
(Geo. ზემო აფხაზეთი, Zemo Abkhazeti). On August 12, 2008, Russo–Abkhazian forces gained control of the Upper Kodori Valley, previously controlled by Georgia.
The Upper Kodori Valley, the principal part of Upper Abkhazia
, lies in the upper reaches of the Kodori River in northeastern portion of Abkhazia, about 40 miles inside an official administrative boundary of the region with the rest of Georgia. It is about 20 miles down the coast from Abkhazia's capital Sukhumi
. At an elevation of 1,300 to 3,984 meters, the area covers a range of landscapes from coniferous mountain forest to intermittent snow cover.
The climate is alpine
and winters are snowy. Annual precipitation 1,600 to over 2,000 mm (120 mm in January, 160 mm in April, 180 mm in July and 160 mm in October). Over 30 days with heavy rains per year. Around 180 days with snow cover. Mean temperature: January: -3 C, April: 3 C, July: 14 C and October: 5 C. Mean maximum temperature in July: 28 C.
The valley is populated by several upland villages, which are Lata, Omarishara, Shkhara
and Zemo Azhara. Administratively, it was de facto and de jure a part of Upper Abkhazia (prior to August 2008), but the Republic of Abkhazia claims it as part of the Gulripsh district
. According to the last Georgian census (2002), the population of the former Georgian-controlled part of the valley was 1,956, of which were 1,912 ethnic Georgians (Svans).
-Chachba princes. As a result of the 1866 uprising almost all the Abkhaz of these lands became muhajirs
and the now depopulated territory of the former District of Tsebelda was placed under a special "settlement curator." Armenians
, Georgians
(Megrelians) and Russians
populated the lower part of the valley, while Svans
settled in its upper part (beyond the village of Lata).
it is one of the two areas, that remain populated by Georgians in the post-war Abkhazia.
Under UMOMIG's (United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
) expanded mandate laid out in Resolution 937
(1994), the mission was given two tasks in the Kodori Valley:
1. Monitor the withdrawal of troops of Georgia from the Kodori Valley to places beyond the boundaries of Abkhazia.
2. Patrol the Kodori Valley regularly.
Despite no subsequent real military activity in the Kodori corridor, several dangerous incidents occurred:
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
's breakaway autonomous republic. The valley's upper part, populated by Svans, was the only corner of the post-1993 Abkhazia, directly controlled by the central Georgian government, which officially styles the area as Upper Abkhazia
Upper Abkhazia
Upper Abkhazia is a term introduced in 2006, to denote the northeastern part of the disputed territory of Abkhazia, that had remained under Georgian control after the 1992 - 1993 War in Abkhazia. From September 2006 until August 2008 its main village, Chkhalta, hosted the Government of the...
(Geo. ზემო აფხაზეთი, Zemo Abkhazeti). On August 12, 2008, Russo–Abkhazian forces gained control of the Upper Kodori Valley, previously controlled by Georgia.
Description
Upper Abkhazia
Upper Abkhazia is a term introduced in 2006, to denote the northeastern part of the disputed territory of Abkhazia, that had remained under Georgian control after the 1992 - 1993 War in Abkhazia. From September 2006 until August 2008 its main village, Chkhalta, hosted the Government of the...
, lies in the upper reaches of the Kodori River in northeastern portion of Abkhazia, about 40 miles inside an official administrative boundary of the region with the rest of Georgia. It is about 20 miles down the coast from Abkhazia's capital Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
. At an elevation of 1,300 to 3,984 meters, the area covers a range of landscapes from coniferous mountain forest to intermittent snow cover.
The climate is alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
and winters are snowy. Annual precipitation 1,600 to over 2,000 mm (120 mm in January, 160 mm in April, 180 mm in July and 160 mm in October). Over 30 days with heavy rains per year. Around 180 days with snow cover. Mean temperature: January: -3 C, April: 3 C, July: 14 C and October: 5 C. Mean maximum temperature in July: 28 C.
The valley is populated by several upland villages, which are Lata, Omarishara, Shkhara
Shkhara
Shkhara , is the highest point in the nation of Georgia. Located in the Svaneti region along the Russian frontier, Shkhara lies north of the city of Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of Mount...
and Zemo Azhara. Administratively, it was de facto and de jure a part of Upper Abkhazia (prior to August 2008), but the Republic of Abkhazia claims it as part of the Gulripsh district
Gulripsh district
Gulripsh district is a district of Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic. It corresponds to the eponymous Georgian district. Its capital is Gulripsh, the town by the same name...
. According to the last Georgian census (2002), the population of the former Georgian-controlled part of the valley was 1,956, of which were 1,912 ethnic Georgians (Svans).
History
The Abkhazian historic regions of Dal and Tsebelda occupied most of the Kodori Valley before the incorporation of Abkhazia into Russian Empire from 1810 to 1864. Its highland communities were independent of the central authority of ShervashidzeShervashidze
Shervashidze was a noble family in Abkhazia which, according to later sources, can be traced at least as far back as the twelfth century.Although this is quite clearly a Georgian form , the family is said to have derived from the Shirvanshahs, a dynasty of Shirvan in what is now Azerbaijan...
-Chachba princes. As a result of the 1866 uprising almost all the Abkhaz of these lands became muhajirs
Muhajir (Caucasus)
Circassians, the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Caucasus were cleansed from their homeland at the end of the Caucasian War by victorious Russia, which by its manner of suppression of the Caucasus directed at the Crimean Tartars and Circassians can be credited with "inventing the strategy of...
and the now depopulated territory of the former District of Tsebelda was placed under a special "settlement curator." Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, Georgians
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
(Megrelians) and Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
populated the lower part of the valley, while Svans
Svans
The Svans are a group of Georgians that mostly live in Svaneti, a region of Georgia speaking the Svan language. The self designated Svan is Mushüan, known to the ancient authors as Misimian.-History:...
settled in its upper part (beyond the village of Lata).
Recent history
The village of Lata was taken by Abkhazian forces on 24 and 25 March, 1994. According to the Moscow Agreement, signed in May 1994, the ceasefire line was drawn to the north-east of it so, that the Upper Kodori Valley remained outside of the control of Abkhazian authorities. Together with the Gali districtGali district
Gali district is a district of Abkhazia. Its capital is Gali, the town by the same name. The district is smaller than the eponymous one in the de jure subdivision of Georgia, as some of its former territory is now part of Tkvarcheli District, formed by de facto Abkhaz authorities in 1995.Gali...
it is one of the two areas, that remain populated by Georgians in the post-war Abkhazia.
Under UMOMIG's (United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 858 in August 1993 to verify compliance with a 27 July 1993 ceasefire agreement between the Republic of Georgia and forces in Abkhazia with special attention given to the situation in the...
) expanded mandate laid out in Resolution 937
United Nations Security Council Resolution 937
United Nations Security Council Resolution 937, adopted on July 21, 1994, after reaffirming resolutions 849 , 854 , 858 , 876 , 881 , 892 , 896 , 901 , 906 and 934 , the Council expanded the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia to include co-operation with the Commonwealth of Independent...
(1994), the mission was given two tasks in the Kodori Valley:
1. Monitor the withdrawal of troops of Georgia from the Kodori Valley to places beyond the boundaries of Abkhazia.
2. Patrol the Kodori Valley regularly.
Despite no subsequent real military activity in the Kodori corridor, several dangerous incidents occurred:
- Hostages: Three hostage-taking incidents involving UNMOs have occurred in the Kodori Valley: In October 1999, June 2000 and December 2000. In each case the hostages were released.
- Kodori Valley helicopter attack: On October 8, 2001, a UNOMIG helicopter was shot down by unknown attackers, killing all nine aboard.
- 2001 Kodori crisis2001 Kodori crisisThe 2001 Kodori crisis was a confrontation in the Kodori Gorge, Abkhazia, in October 2001 between ethnic Chechen fighters and Abkhazian forces. The crisis was largely neglected by world media, focused on then-actual US attack on Afghanistan...
: In the fall of 2001 a group of Chechen fighters, led by the commander Ruslan Gelayev, entered the gorge from the Georgian side, causing a major flare-up in Georgian-Abkhazian relations. The Russian air force carried out air strikes on the fighters and according to the local authorities, around 15% of the population fled their homes and sought refugee status in Tbilisi. Georgia responded by moving troops into the area, a step condemned by Abkhazia and the UN. The Chechens were eventually defeated by Russian and Abkhazian forces.
- Russian military incident: On April 2, 2002, Georgian and Abkhazian sides signed a demilitarization agreement for Kodori Gorge. UNOMIG-monitored withdrawal of 350 Georgian troops ended on April 10, however, 100 Russian ground forces entered the Kodori Gorge, without having any peacekeeping mandate, on the morning of April 12. They were soon surrounded by the Georgian Defence Ministry forces. A likely armed conflict was prevented by President Eduard ShevardnadzeEduard ShevardnadzeEduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
, going to Kodori to bring the situation under control. The UN representatives in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflictGeorgian-Abkhaz conflictThe Georgian–Abkhazian conflict refers to the ethnic conflict between Georgians and Abkhazians in Abkhazia, which is presently a de facto independent partially recognized republic...
theater also condemned the Russian action. On April 14, a Russian military unit left the gorge.
- 2006 Kodori crisis2006 Kodori crisisThe 2006 Kodori crisis erupted in late July 2006 in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge, when a local militia leader declared his opposition to the Government of Georgia, which sent police forces to disarm the rebels...
: In July 2006, Georgia sent the Interior Ministry special forces to disarm the local defiant paramilitary leader, Emzar KvitsianiEmzar KvitsianiEmzar Kvitsiani was a Georgian presidential representative in the Kodori Gorge.- 2006 Kodori crisis :...
. With the restoration of the Georgian jurisdiction in the area, the President of GeorgiaPresident of GeorgiaThe President of Georgia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Government of Georgia. Executive power is split between the President and the Prime Minister, who is the head of government...
ordered the TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
-based Government of Abkhazia-in-exileGovernment of Abkhazia-in-exileThe Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia is an administration recognized by Georgia as the legal government-in-exile of Abkhazia. Abkhazia that has been de facto independent of Georgia though with very little international recognition since the early 1990s...
to relocate to the gorge, which would function as a temporary administrative center of breakaway Abkhazia. For this purpose, a major rehabilitation project was launched by the Georgian government, to adjust the valley's infrastructure to its new political function. Recently, Georgia has offered the UNOMIG to monitor the upper part of the gorge simultaneously with the Separatist-controlled Lower Kodori Valley, but refused to allow the Russian peacekeeping forces to participate in the monitoring operation. Later Georgia allowed Russian peacekeepers to take part in the process.
- A joint patrol of the UN observers and Russian peacekeepers found the presence of 550 personnel from the Upper Kodori Gorge as a result of monitoring, carried out on October 12, 2006. They agreed, that the presence of police forces in Upper Kodori Gorge is technically not a violation of the 1994 Moscow ceasefire agreement, which bans the deployment of army troops in the area. The UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) said on October 13, that monitoring has also revealed the presence of mortars and an anti-aircraft gun in the gorge, which according to the Georgian side, was seized from the local militia group in an operation carried out in late July.
- 2007 Georgia helicopter incident: On the night of 11 March 2007, three MI-24 attack helicopters bombarded the village of ChkhaltaChkhaltaChkhalta is the largest village in the upper part of the Kodori Valley, situated in Gulripsh District, Abkhazia, a breakaway Republic from Georgia.-History:...
, which serves as the temporary headquarters of the Government of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic. The government headquarters were damaged, but there were no injuries. Georgia accused Russia of carrying out the attack. Russia has officially denied carrying out the attack, however, a Russian official had stated, that this was a "very clear signal" for Georgia.
- September 20, 2007 incident - The Georgian Ministry of Interior reported an armed clash with an Abkhaz subversive group, which attempted to penetrate the Georgian-controlled area, where the construction of a new road is underway. Two Abkhaz militiamen were killed, one wounded and six detained by the Georgian police unit. The Abkhaz leader, Sergei BagapshSergei BagapshSergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh was the second President of the Republic of Abkhazia. He was Prime Minister from 1997 to 1999 and was later elected as President in 2005. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election...
, had earlier warned, that the de facto authorities reserved to themselves the right, to undertake measures at any time, to gain control of the Upper Kodori Valley. The same day, an armed clash between Russian peacekeepers and Abkhaz border guards left two dead.
- 2008 South Ossetia war2008 South Ossetia warThe 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
- Soon after the start of the conflict, Abkhaz forces began the artillery bombardment of the Upper Kodori Gorge with the declared goal of pushing Georgian forces out of it. Georgian sources claimed Russian aircraft attacked Georgian-controlled villages in the valley. UNOMIG observers withdrew from the valley after Abkhazian authorities asked them to do so "for security reasons." On 12 August 2008, Abkhazian forces gained control of most of the Kodori Valley, previously controlled by Georgia.
External links
- Geography of the valley
- UNOMIG activities in the valley
- Georgian-Russian tensions, from the article of the Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International StudiesThe Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
- Georgian-Russian tensions
- Russian military incursion in 2002
- Moscow Unleashes a Mountain Chieftain against Georgia (Eurasia Daily Monitor)
- Georgia Regains Control over Battle in Kodori (Eurasia Daily Monitor)
- GEORGIA’S SUCCESS IN KODORI GORGE BOLSTERS CASE TO REPLACE RUSSIAN "PEACEKEEPERS"(Eurasia Daily Monitor)
- Tbilisi Turns Kodori into ‘Temporary Administrative Center’ of Abkhazia (Civil Georgia)
- Google Maps