Georgia
Situated at the strategically important crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage, famous traditions of hospitality and cuisine and an alphabet which is entirely its own. It also has a history of winemaking said to date back thousands of years.
Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
Russian troops remain garrisoned at four military bases and as peacekeepers in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The country continues to move toward a market economy and greater integration with Western institutions.
The US has a major interest in security and stability in the country, having invested heavily in an oil pipeline from Azerbaijan via Georgia to Turkey. The Georgian armed forces have been receiving US training and support. Increasing US economic and political influence in the country is being watched closely by the Kremlin, as are Georgia's aspirations to join NATO and the EU. Tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi are never far from the surface and have flared sporadically since Mikhail Saakashvili became Georgian president.
Following the collapse of communism in the USSR in 1991, Georgians voted overwhelmingly for the restoration of independence and elected nationalist leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia as president. However, Gamsakhurdia was soon overthrown by opposition militias which in 1992 installed former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze as the country's new leader. During his 11 years in office, the Georgian people felt increasingly at the mercy of poverty, corruption and crime. He was ousted in November 2003 following mass demonstrations over the conduct of parliamentary elections.
Georgia has been heavily dependent on Russia for its energy supply. Like some other republics of the former Soviet Union, it saw the price of gas supplied by the Russian gas giant Gazprom rise sharply in January 2006. Gazprom announced the following November that it intended to double the price again in 2007. Moscow has also banned imports of Georgian wine and mineral water. It insists that it did so on health grounds but Tbilisi is equally adamant that the reasons were political. As relations deteriorate, Russia has shown that it will not flinch from tightening the economic screw. (See "Recent Incidents" for information on the political row that prompted Russia to impose harsh sanctions on Georgia in 2006.)
Since independence, Georgia has seen periods of civil war and unrest as well as violence related to the independence aspirations of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both regions have close ties with Moscow. Russian peacekeepers have operated there since the early 1990s. They are regularly accused by Tbilisi of siding with the separatists. The Georgian parliament has demanded that the Russian peacekeepers in both regions be replaced by an international force. The UN operates a military observer mission alongside Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia. Russia has had troops stationed in Georgia for over two centuries. After protracted discussions, it agreed in 2005 to withdraw from its two remaining bases, one in Ajaria and the other in southern Georgia, by the end of 2008. Their presence has been another source of tension between Tbilisi and the Kremlin.
The separatist-controlled areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain politically volatile, and see high levels of crime. In July 2004, political tensions increased significantly between the government authorities in Tbilisi and the separatist regime in Tskhinvali in South Ossetia. This situation culminated in sniper and mortar exchanges between South Ossetian and Georgian troops. Although the fighting stopped short of open civil war, low-level violence continues between the two sides that periodically results in deaths, underscoring the potential for instability in the region. A tense truce also exists between the Georgian government and the separatist de facto government of Abkhazia. Over the past several years a number of attacks, criminal incidents, and kidnappings have occurred in Abkhazia. While Abkhaz "border officials" may demand that travelers entering the region purchase visas to enter Abkhazia, it is not internationally recognized as a separate country. There is civil unrest in Abkhazia, Samegrelo (in the districts of Zugdidi and Tsalenjikha) and South Ossetia. In Abkhazia some roads are mined.
Hijacking and kidnapping for ransom are a significant risk outside of Tbilisi, especially on the main road from Tbilisi to western Georgia, and in the northern breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Traveling in groups and engaging local escorts familiar with the area may help reduce but not remove the risk.
US citizens should be aware that they cannot legally cross overland between Russia and Georgia, even if in possession of valid Russian or Georgian visas.
Georgia's armed forces have periodically conducted operations against suspected international terrorists, Chechen fighters, and criminals who have taken refuge in the Pankisi Gorge. Avoid all travel to the Pankisi Gorge north of the city of Akhmeta. Exercise caution if it is necessary to travel to the northern mountainous areas of Georgia bordering the Russian Federation, especially the Chechnya and Dagestan sectors.
In the past, religious minorities in Georgia have been targets of violent attacks. Victims include Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, Baptists, and members of the "Assembly of God." Incidents included the burning of literature, the destruction of private property and the beating of believers, regardless of citizenship. Although in 2005 Georgian authorities arrested, jailed and convicted the ringleader of the group responsible for these attacks, missionary activity in Georgia remains potentially hazardous.
As in other former Soviet republics, business disputes are often settled by violence.
In May 2005, a man exploded a grenade during a rally attended by US President George Bush. The suspect was arrested in July 2005 and while his motives remain unclear, police determined that he acted alone and was not associated with any group.
Georgia sees seismic activity.
