Precarious Balance
Turkey, Georgia, and the de facto State of Abkhazia
Franziska Smolnik, Andrea Weiss, Yana Zabanova
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Over the past 25 years, Turkey has built up relations with its eastern neighbours in the Southern Caucasus that are marked by conflict and cooperation. At the heart of these relations are economic and political interests, but the history of the Ottoman Empire in the region also plays a role. Ankara cultivates close relations with Georgia, but also maintains informal contacts with the de facto government of Abkhazia, which broke away from Tbilisi. With regard to relations with Abkhazian society, the Abkhazian diaspora in Turkey plays an important role. Turkey’s engagement, however, is a balancing act. Ankara not only has to consider Tbilisi, but also Russia. This also limits Turkey’s role as mediator in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.
(Osteuropa 7-10/2015, pp. 407–426)