Presentation of Thomas De Waal's report on the de facto regions of Europe was held in Tbilisi
Tom De Waal presented his new book in Tbilisi on 9th January. The presentation was organised by Carnegie Europe in partnership with Go Group Media. The name of his new report is’Uncertain Ground: Engaging With Europe’s De Facto States and Breakaway Territories’.
The report is about three “de facto states” – Abkhazia, Transdniestria, and northern Cyprus – they have endured in Europe for decades . They are unrecognized internationally but are relatively stable. The conflicts associated with them remain unresolved. Better engagement with these breakaway territories by international actors within a framework of nonrecognition remains both an ambition and a big challenge.
Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, shared his vision of the situation concerning conflicts in Abkhazia, Transnistria and Northern Cyprus. He has shared new ideas for policymakers in these conflict regions and also what lessons the experience of these conflicts has for eastern Ukraine.
“These conflicts are united by the long-term existence of these territories in the uncertain status of unrecognized or partially-recognized states, the absence of hostilities and the protracted negotiation process,” said de Waal.
Regarding the situation in Abkhazia, de Waal noted that within the framework of the current non-recognition policy, the European Union should still significantly increase its interaction with Abkhazia, including programmes in the field of education, health and environmental protection. He called the self-isolation of Abkhazia “a huge problem”, including for Tbilisi and the international community.
Archil Gegeshidze, director of the Levan Mikeladze Foundation and former Georgian ambassador to the United States, noted that there is a significant difference between the conflicts in North Cyprus, Transnistria and Abkhazia.
“In Transnistria and in Cyprus there has been a transformation of the conflict from violence to a legal and political process; in this case [Abkhazia] there are again and again cases of violence,” said Gegeshidze.
Gegeshidze added that an important factor is also the fact that the conflict in Abkhazia has a clear ethnic dimension, as the image of Georgia as the enemy is still popular in Abkhazia. It is also significant that the positions of Tbilisi and Sukhumi on the final outcome of the settlement diverge radically. According to Gegeshidze, this is primarily why it is necessary to direct efforts to the transformation of the conflict. The issue of cooperation between Europe and Abkhazia received particular focus.
Support for this event came from Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.