Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 9, 2004, Monday

GEORGIANS ATTACK TURKS

SOURCE: Novye Izvestia, August 4, 2004, p. 4

by Oleg Kasimov

UNSOLVED PROBLEM OF ABKHAZIA GENERATES FRICTION IN THE
GEORGIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

Relations between Georgia and Turkey plummeted last Saturday because
of the incident off the coast of Abkhazia. Boat of the Georgian coast
guard opened fire at the Turkish dry cargo ship that crossed the
Georgian territorial waters and was bound for Sukhumi. The ship was
damaged but not detained. Abkhazian State Security Minister Mikhail
Tarba said that the Abkhazian will sink every Georgian ship in their
territorial waters. The minister even mentioned the use of aviation
whenever necessary.

Shortly before that Abkhazian leaders terminated negotiations with
Tbilisi. The statement to this effect was made the day following the
end of military exercise run by the self-proclaimed republic where
15,000 men including reservists were involved. Tbilisi appraised the
exercise as an element of preparations for an all-out war on Georgia.

The situation being what it is, official Ankara did not respond to
the attack on the Turkish ship. This was only logical. These days,
Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are building a military-political
axis as a counterweight to another geopolitical construction – the
Russian-Armenian-Iranian triangle. With Washington’s support, Ankara
is rapidly building the Baku – Tbilisi – Dheijkhan pipeline that will
bring Caspian oil to the world market via Georgia and Turkey.
Moreover, Turkey has been providing military aid to Georgia. A
platoon of Georgian peacekeepers has been in Kosovo as a subunit of
the Turkish contingent since 1999.

The unsolved problem of Abkhazia generates friction in the relations
between Tbilisi and Ankara. Turkey recognizes territorial integrity
of Georgia and frowns on Abkhazia’s attempts to cede. In the
meantime, Turkish ships regularly violate the Georgian sea border and
bring food and goods to Abkhazia, something Georgia inevitably calls
smuggled goods. Georgian secret services even compiled a list of 19
ships making regular runs to Abkhazia and sent it to Ankara. Turkey
did not respond. Experts believe that Ankara’s position on the
subject of Abkhazia is influenced to a considerable extent by the
Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey. The diaspora numbers about 400,000
people, descendants from the makhadzhirs (this is how the Ottoman
Empire called the Abkhazians who fled there during the Caucasus War
in the 19th century). Most of them became Moslems in Turkey.

In the early 1990’s, the authorities of Abkhazia appealed to these
men to come home promising living quarters and free education. The
decision to build two mosques, in Gudauta and Sukhumi, was made then.
The process of repatriation was quite rapid at first: hundreds
families returned to Abkhazia. The number of Moslems in Abkhazia
soared. According to the latest opinion polls, 49.3% residents of
Abkhazia call themselves Christians and 28.7% Moslems. Ankara is
closely watching the situation in Abkhazia nowadays, emphasizing its
concern for the makhadzhir families that returned to Abkhazia. It is
with Ankara’s silent consent that Turkish ships regularly bring fuel
and food to the region. Ankara is financing schools in Abkhazia where
students are taught in the Turkish language. Turkish ambassador to
Georgia visited Abkhazia this June. “Ankara is not disinterested in
the processes taking place in Abkhazia,” he said.

It goes without saying that in its confrontation with the authorities
of Georgia Sukhumi counts on the Abkhazian lobby in Turkey that is
trying to wield its clout with regard to the policy of official
Ankara. Last October, former finance minister of Turkey Zekiriat
Emizel visited Sukhumi (Emizel is an Abkhazian himself). He promised
leaders of Abkhazia to use his political clout to have official
Ankara and general public to turn to the Abkhazian problems.

Translated by A. Ignatkin