No to Wars in the Caucasus

Soon former Soviet people will celebrate the Victory in the WW2 and the end of the Great Patriotic War.

Moscow public organizations have organized a march from Moscow to Tbilisi and other Caucasian capital cities to mark the date.

Among the organizers were societies of Southern Caucasian Diasporas, representatives of Northern Caucasian regions of Russia and voluntary unions of military and law-enforcement servicemen.

The participants of the March covered almost 10,000 kilometres in comfortable busses and travelled through 15 subject territories of the Russian Federation . Main slogans were Peace to the Caucasian Peoples, No to the Hot Spots in the Caucasus . It was important for the organizers to attract the attention of the former Soviet nations and policy makers in the region that their daddies fought together against fascism and their sons were ready to fight each other. We should not allow this to happen – has been the call of the March.

An obstacle the Peace March could not overcome occurred on the Abkhazian portion of the Russian border with Georgia . Though self-declared Abkhazians seem to be friendly with Russian authorities, they refused to let the bus column into the occupied territory. Some 14 years ago the Confederation of Northern Caucasian Mountainairs - an informal organization declared the Georgian Black Sea coast city of Sokhumi as their capital. To fulfil the declaration volunteer terrorists from the northern Caucasus waged war against newly independent Georgia and arranged the ethnic cleansing of the Abkhazian territory together with so called "Abkhazian" former Soviet nomenclature backed separatists. As a result up to three fourths of the population of the autonomous republic having witnessed terrorism horrors and under threats for their lives left their homes and became refugees in Russia and other parts of Georgia .

The incident proved that self-declared "Abkhazians", playing post-soviet pseudo-patriotic games, do not agree to let not only Georgians, but even Russian citizens of certain ethnic belonging. It is becoming clearer that the prolonged conflict in Abkhazia is not a result of mutual hatred of cultural and blood kins: - aphsua-abkhazians and Georgian Abkhazians, now dropped out from their homes. Despite declarations of some pro-imperial politicians from Russia pointing to different parts of their southern neighbour, the conflict does not look even like a confrontation of Russia with Georgia for the want of some dainty morsel. It may be the frontier of the civilization clash; in this case we may define it more precisely as remains of the resisting soviet geographical totalitarianism to the democratic civilian choice in the Caucasus .

The March participants brought soil from Egorov's grave in Russia to Kantaria's burial place in Georgia . Soviet Army soldiers Kantaria and Egorov hoisted the Victory flag over Reichstag in May, 1945 and became the WW2 symbols of Soviet nations' friendship. To fulfil the task, Peace marchers had to make a loop encompassing the Northern Caucasus and most of the Georgian territory before they reaches a village on the Engury river bank.

The Peace March had been welcome to all regions. Population and authorities both equally were eager to show their hospitality.

The Peace March lasted 42 days instead of planned 25. Despite the evident actuality of the issues that the March wanted to attract attention to, it did not get deserved coverage in central medias. Acting policy actors observed its progress without commenting.

This may mean that the act was untimely scheduled. But it also may hint that the positive resolution of the situation may be soon expected.

Badri Kutelia

11.21.2004