Conference report
14th Conference in the Series Aspects of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict
Organized by the Heinrich-Boell Foundation, Berlin, Tbilisi and
the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California, Irvine
Istanbul, Turkey, June 14-15, 2007
Since the events that transpired in the Kodori Gorge in the summer of 2007 official negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and the Geneva Process have seen no progress. Relations between the two sides were further aggravated in the fall of 2007 by incidents in border zones. These events have also strained informal civil society dialogues. Organizers and supporters of these dialogues from both sides are criticized by their governments and domestic political opponents who maintain that such dialogues are ineffective.
In this context two issues important to international politics play an important role: the decision about the future internationally recognized status of Kosovo, and the possible accession of Georgia into NATO within this decade. Both these issues provoke serious political controversies and contradictory political analysis between and within the conflicting parties. These two topics also evoke emotions which themselves have repercussions on the negotiation process and confidence building between Georgians and Abkhaz. This is particularly the case with NATO accession talks which incite fears or hopes in Abkhaz and Georgian societies.
Consequently, the organizers of this conference offered a forum to their Georgian and Abkhaz partners where the public on both sides of the divide could transparently discuss the requisites and possible
consequences of Georgia’s accession into NATO among themselves and together with international experts. Fundamental controversies and clashes of interest were not expected to be resolved at this conference, but the discussions and resulting conference report, policy recommendations, and published proceedings (in press) helped clarify the issues, and provided insights into the motivations and interests behind the different positions.
Of the 26 participants 7 were Georgians, and 7 were Abkhaz. None of these participants has direct political responsibility, but they all have authority in their fields as social scientists, journalists, advisors and NGO representatives. The other 12 participants were international experts, including representatives from NATO, the European Union, think tanks, universities and NGOs in Europe and the United States. This was the first time that people from Abkhazia had an opportunity to meet a NATO representative. All participants spoke on their own behalf, not that of their organizations.
Those who participated in the conference support the principle that it is better to talk with each other than past one another. They all hold the conviction that both sides of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict have earned the right to have their perspective heard in a respectful manner.
Both sides are legitimate and necessary partners in the search for solutions to this conflict. They believe that after everything that has happened in the past few decades in the Georgian-Abkhaz relationship the only worthy alternative is a settlement without war.
The conference theme—the impact of possible NATO accession of Georgia – is an extremely delicate issue for both Georgians and Abkhaz. The overwhelming majority of Georgians support NATO integration and hope to achieve this as fast as possible in order to preserve Georgia’s independence by anchoring itself to the West. They consider early accession into NATO as a foregone conclusion. Voices from the region and the West expressing doubts are not welcome.
For some Georgians it seems ridiculous to discuss such a highly sensitive issue with the opponents from Abkhazia. This theme is also problematic for the Abkhaz participants. Many people in Abkhazia already regard meetings with Georgians in today’s tense political situation as suspect. Furthermore, how will they consider a meeting joined by NATO representatives, an alliance that many in Abkhazia regard as a staunch supporter of the Georgian position with its enormous military, political and economic power. From an Abkhaz perspective Russia is justified in admonishing possible NATO expansion into the South Caucasus as dangerous and aggressive.
This is the fourth conference co-organized by our Georgian and Abkhaz colleagues, the Heinrich-Boell Foundation, and the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California. The project was started by the University of California, Irvine in 1994, a year after the Abkhaz-Georgian ceasefire. That year it seemed that ten years or more would be needed before ordinary Georgians and Abkhaz would sit in the same room, let alone have a frank and constructive dialogue. Fortunately, it only took a few years for that to happen.
If we look back to where we were when this project began in 1994 and see where we are today, 13 years later, it shows dramatically how long it takes to get back to some kind of normalcy in relations between people after much bloodshed in an armed conflict. Our work is to help facilitate understanding and healing between the communities, but also to prevent any resumption of violence so that the peace process can continue to make steady progress.
All previous 13 conferences have resulted in complete proceedings that are published and distributed throughout the region, and posted online. Today we have a total of thirteen volumes.
The proceedings of these conferences are published in Russian. The previous 13 volumes are at
http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~cpb/progs/projpubs.htm. This conference has resulted in the 14th volume. We recorded all the conversations and transcribed them so that not only the people in the room benefit from the exchange, but also those working at the official level of the peace process, the public at large, and the international community. We hope that this report and our ongoing dialogue project can contribute to a mutually satisfactory solution of this conflict that will meet the needs of all the people affected by conflict.
The report proceeds with highlights of all the papers presented in the three panels, summaries of the questions, answers and comments made in the discussions by all the participants, detailed policy recommendations, and a list of the participants.
Paula Garb, the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, University of California, Irvine
Walter Kaufmann, the Heinrich-Boell Foundation, Berlin, Tbilisi