Expansion of Georgia and Abkhaz"s fight for independence[1]  

One of the key and the most painful periods in the history of Abkhaz-Georgian relations was the period of 1917-1921. After the Revolution events of February and October 1917 which destroyed Russia unity, Abkhazia, still being the part of the Sukhum military region, joined the South-Eastern alliance of Kazak troops, Mountain people and Free Peoples of Steppe.  The Alliance meant several conditions for Abkhazia: ·         Abkhazia as an entity was a sovereign state ·         Was a part of some major international alliance·         Kept its statehood via The Alliance of Mountain peoples in connection with new Russian State·         Had its right to sign treaties with other countries and therefore was a subject to international law    In parallel there was a Georgian way of future development, separate from Russia and North Caucuses, described in Ingorovka report at the conference on Historical and Ethnographic society about Georgian Borders, on 7th February 1918: “Political borders of Georgia often changed in the past, however “Georgia” was the name of the constant territory which consists of 8 provinces , where Georgians national lived for centuries: Kartli, Kakhetia, Samtse-Saatabo (current Muslim Georgia: Meskheti and Lazistan), Emereti, Guria, Samegrelo, Svaneti and Abkhazeti.  This territory – Georgia – apart from being the whole cultural-historical entity also is the single and undivided geographical area, one country, surrounded by natural borders.”   Ingorovka was economical with the truth. Until 26th May 1918 there was no such state known as “Georgia”.  As well as no sovereign undivided territory of Georgia.  Ethnically Apsua (Abkhaz) and Kartvels (further Georgians) were different and had different languages.  From Georgia there began a pilgrimage of political and religious missionaries with an intent to separate Abkhazia from the Mountain Alliance and the Abkhaz people from their brothers by blood and language of the Northern Caucuses.    Later, Georgian troops under the command of general Koniev entered Abkhazia, and after been beaten by the Gudauta insurgents, regular Mazniev troops were sent to suppress Abkhazia.    Yet on the 9th February 1918, Abkhaz and Georgia national committees signed an Agreement, which stated their co-existence as two separate, equal states. The principles, stated in the Agreement didn’t conflict with the Alliance of the Mountain peoples, of which Abkhazia was the part of. Therefore, if follows from this that at the time of Georgia’s declaration of independence on May 1918, Abkhazia was not part of it.  Relations which existed between the states were built on the foundation of equality and sovereignty for both.  The Agreement reinforced neighbourhood friendly relations.      Attempt to reinforce the Soviet Government in Abkhazia were made on 16th February 1918, but only from the 8th of April rebel troops entered Sukhum. The Military-Revolutionary committee was established, and after 3 days Soviet power was established everywhere, apart from hte Kodor River. This was technically the first Soviet republic in the Caucuses outside Russia.  When the government of the Newly Created Caucasian Democratic Federal Republic went to separate itself from Russia on the 9th of April 1918, there was a real threat of its military expansion, as someone would see a potential threat of a separation of Abkhazia from Georgian Caucuses. Therefore, with the intent to destroy the newly-formed Soviet republic, and to annex territory of Abkhazia, troops were sent from the Caucuses Republic.     In May 1918 the Russian authorities of Caucuses collapsed and the Georgian Democratic republic was formed from its ruins.  According to “Georgia’s Independence Act” the country and its people were slowly drawn into a German-Turkish Imperialist alliance.  A retrack of Georgian Troops in 1921 from Abkhaz territory after the attack of general Denikin’s Volunteer Army, did not affect Abkhaz statehood.  On the 20th February 1921 a speech was addressed from Abkhaz revolutionary committee to Abkhaz people regarding the possibility of armed riot and demanded weapons.  Later on the 31st of March 1921, in Abkhazia, its independence was declared in the form of SSR[2] Abkhazia and the idea of political, national state sovereignty was implemented.