Upon the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, Georgia broke off its relations with Russia and then declared the independence in 1921. There were close contacts between independent Georgian government and The Turkish National Assembly (TBMM) in Ankara in that period during which the national independence war took place in Turkey. While the TBMM government maintained its relationship with the Georgian government in Tbilisi, it also had a close dialog with communists who took the power in Moscow.

The independence of Georgia lasted for only two and an half year. Bolsheviks defeated the Mensheviks in 1924 and Georgia was annexed to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, (USSR) like the other countries in the region. Georgia took place within the USSR under the name of “Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia.”

After the communist Soviet regime that lasted for seventy years, Georgia became the first state that declared its independence from the Union on 9 April 1991, at the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Turkey, the first state that recognized the independence of Georgia led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia, played an important role in the development of Georgia with close relationship ever since the beginning of the independence. There is no problem between the two countries that have common interests in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipe project and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas project.

Turkey also played an important role in developing the Georgia’s relationship with the Western countries by providing support to the establishment the Georgian Army and development of the economy.

Georgia, once a prosperous country during the Soviet period, faced serious economic problems after the collapse of the Union, like the other Soviet states did. Despite some good developments in the inflation and growth, Georgian economy is still weak due to the reflections of crises in the Russian Federation, bottleneck in the energy and politicial instability. In addition, neither sufficient amount of capital nor entrepreneurs necessary for investments exist in the country.

The extreme nationalist policies of Gamsakhurdia caused strong reactions both within and outside the country. When the first national army established by Gamsakhurdia and the Defense Minister Tengiz Kitovani sided with the opposition, a civil war began in Tbilisi in September 1991. Gamsakhurdia had to leave the government in January 1992. Edward Shevardnadze, the last Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, was spending his retirement days in Moscow. Invited to Tbilisi and subsequently declared as the “President of the State Council”, Mr. Shevardnadze took the government.  

Shevardnadze undertook the administration of the country through a government based on the “constitutional assembly” constituted by him together with the group who overturned Gamsakhurdia.     

Shevardnadze had serious difficulty to cope with the political and economic instability in Georgia. However, he took the support of the U.S. and many western countries, as well as that of Turkey. Elected for the second time in 2000, Shevardnadze could not prevent the widely known corruption rumors that caused strong reaction in the country.

As a result of the uprising initiated by opposition groups who claimed that the parliament elections on 2 November 2003 was fraudulent, Shevardnadze had to resign on November 20^th and left his post to the interim president Nino Burjanadze, one of the opposition leaders. After the “civil coup” led by the prominent leader Mikhail Saakashvili, the elections for president has been announced to be done on 4 January 2004. Mikhail Saakashvili is surely believed to win the election and become the president of the new term.

The Muslims in Georgia

As the independence was declared in 1991, the freedom for religion was recognized to the Muslims in Georgia within the scope of human rights. 

However, there was no considerable number of Muslims who had sufficient knowledge about Islam due to deprivation of all kind of religious freedom and rights for seventy years. In addition, because there were not Islamic books written in their language, the religion freedom did not mean too much for Georgian Muslims, at least practically.

 The religion courses are given in the schools in Georgia. However, the Islamic courses are given to Muslim children by Christian priests. The Georgian governments since 1991 did actually nothing for the Muslims to learn their own religion. Even though the political and economic instability experienced in the country over then years might be an excuse, the Tbilisi government, which attempted to open a priest school in Khulo region of Ajara where the highest Muslim population lives, could have taken more effective steps, at least in terms of legislation.

The church survived its institutional entity during the communist period, though with limited activities. It has entered into a much more effective stage due to the freedom provided after the independence. Yet Muslims, on the other hand, have neither an educated class nor Islamic books to teach Islam. Therefore, they still experience difficulties in terms of religion.

Thanks to the efforts and achievements of a small group of volunteers in Turkey since 1991, 170 students from Ajara have been brought to Turkey and educated, more than thirty essential Islamic books have been either written or translated, published more than one million and distributed in Georgia free of charge. In addition, the project of “Georgian Translation of the Quran” have been initiated and now being realized by these volunteers. This is going to be the first Quran translation into Georgian language in history realized by Muslims. Fifteen scholars from Georgia and Turkey who excel in Arabic, Georgian and Turkish languages and Islamic knowledge are involved in this work. Estimated to take three years, this vital project needs the financial assistance of those who would like to be a part of a monumental service.

A Chronological View of Democracy in Georgia

 The six opposition parties led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia united under the name of “roundtable” in the election of High Soviet (Assembly) of Georgia on 28 October 1990. They won the elections and Gamsakhurdia founded a non-communist government.   Gamsakhurdia subsequently was elected as the President of the High Council of Georgia by the Council in the first session. The High Council led by Gamsakhurdia made a referendum on 31 March 1991 for the independence from USSR. 90% of the vote came out for the independence. On 9 April 1991, the High Council decided to re-establish the independent Georgia, which was abolished by Bolsheviks in 1921. Georgian government immediately declared the independence from USSR. The presidency of Gamsakhurdia was confirmed by the 87% of the votes in the elections on 26 May 1991.As Gamsakhurdia was overturned by a military coup in January 1992, Georgian State Council announced the new parliament elections. 35 parties attended to the elections on 11 October 1992. The coalition named “Peace Block” won the elections. Then, Edward Shevardnadze, once the first secretary of the Georgian Communist Party between 1972 and 1985, was named as the Speaker of the Parliament On 5 November 1995, the elections for President and Parliament were made together. United Georgia for The People Party led by Shevardnadze took the 23,7% of the votes in the elections where 53 parties attended. In the first “democratic” local elections on 15 November 1998, serious problems were experienced, especially in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The obstructions caused by the local problems in the country were reduced in the Parliament elections on 31 October 1999.

The Abkhazia and South Ossetia Problems

During the Soviet period there were two autonomous republics (Abkhazia and Ajara) and an autonomous region (South Ossetia) in Georgia. As Georgia rejected the demands of Abkhazia and Ossetia to become the Union Republics, a conflict began between these regions and Tbilisi. Provoked by Russia, the conflict between Abkhazians and Georgians turned into a struggle.  

On the other hand, a threat of civil war emerged in South Ossetia.

After the overturn of Gamsakhurdia who followed extreme nationalist policies in January 1992, Abkhazia declared the independence, with the support of Russia. 220 thousand Georgians were forced to leave Abkhazia, as a result of this struggle.

With the mediation of Russia, the fight in South Ossetia was stopped in 1992, and the one in Abkhazia in 1994 through a ceasefire. Russian Peace Force troops still exist in both autonomous regions.

As Shevardnadze was forced to resign on 20 November 2003 by the opposition that objected the Parliament Elections on 2 November, Ajara Autonomous Republic declared that it would not recognize the current Tbilisi administration.

Anri Cergenya, the Prime Minister of Abkhazia, Eduard Kokoyti, the President of South Ossetia and Arslan Abaşidze, the President of Ajara commonly declared that they would boycott the Presidency Elections announced to be made on 4 January 2004 and would not recognize the results.