Ajara by Levan Urushadze
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See also Adjara
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Ajara is an Autonomous Republic along the southern Black Sea coast of the Republic of Georgia, extending into the wooded foothills of the Caucasus. The Ajarians are ethnic Georgians who profess Islam.
Capital of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara is Batumi. Area of the region is 3,000 square kilometers, the population about 400,000 (92 percent Georgian, with Russian and Armenian minorities). Major branches of industry include petroleum processing, machinery, food products, light manufacturing, and lumber. Agricultural products include tea, citrus fruits, grapes, and corn. The two main ports are Batumi and Kobuleti
Ajara has been part of Georgia since ancient times. The Seljuk Turks invaded in the 11th century AD and the Mongols in the 13th century. Georgia lost this territory to the Ottomans in the 17th century, during which time many of its people converted to Islam. In 1878, it was annexed by Russia. After World War I, its strategic position on the eastern Black Sea coast led to it being contested by a number of major powers, with the territory temporarily being occupied by Turkey, Germany, and Britain. It was later recognized attached to the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) before being subsumed into the Soviet Union. Under Soviet rule, the region surrounding the port of Batumi was reorganized as the Ajar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, a constituent republic of the Georgian SSR. The reasons for this were not ethnic, since the Ajars and Georgians are of same ethnic origins. It is thought that Moscow wanted to avoid giving Georgia complete control of the important Black Sea port and to bolster communist leanings among the ethnic Georgian Muslims known as Lazi, living in Turkey. The status of Ajaria was confirmed in a Turco-Soviet treaty signed in Kars (Turkey) in 1921.
After first democratic, multiparty Parliamentary elections of October 28, 1990 the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ajara Aslan Abashidze was elected Deputy Chairman of the Supreme council of the Republic of Georgia. After military coup d'etat of December 22, 1991-January 6, 1992 Abashidze established an autocratic local regime largely independent of Georgian central authority. He was aided in this by the quiet support of Russia. Under Abashidze's rule, Ajara established its own armed forces and before 2004 did not pay taxes to the Georgian state.
The Abashidze-led Revival party has thirty members in the Georgian parliament, and is seen as a moderate opposition. It opposed the November 2003 ouster of President Shevardnadze and has expressed concern for the future status of Ajara.
On January 4, 2004, Mikheil Saakashvili, the leader of the United National Movement (since February 24, 2004 National Movement-Democrats), won the Presidential elections with 96% of the votes. Following his inauguration on January 26, 2004 Saakashvili visited Batumi and met with Aslan Abashidze.
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Adjara" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjara, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
