1.
Coat of arms of Ossetia
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The coat of arms of Ossetia is a disk gules with a persian leopard passant or with sable spots on a ground or with as background seven mountains argent. The coat of arms of the Terek Oblast was approved on 15 March 1873, in a shield a gold Imperial flag in his right band. The shield ancient Royal crown, around the shield with oak wreath entwined the Alexander band, in 1978 both the arms of the North Ossetian ASSR and the emblem of the RSFSR were modified to include a red star. November 24,1994 was approved and enacted by Parliament Act No.521 on the coat of arms of the Republic, the author of the picture — Murat Jigkaev. The prototype of the emblem was the figure of the banner of Ossetia Vakhushti Bagrationi, a red flag was a picture of Persian leopard on a background of blue mountains. The identification of the figure with the leopard is erroneous. IRBIS never lived in the Caucasus, the Persian leopard can be externally is very similar to the snow leopard
2.
Official residence
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An official residence is the residence at which a nations head of state, head of government, governor or other senior figure officially resides. It may or may not be the location where the individual conducts work-related functions or lives. This has occurred in the 21st century in Detroit and New York City, in the case of Denver, no mayor has ever lived in the official residence, the city instead makes it available to certain non-profit groups for special functions. The President uses own private residence, - Its address is 1 Cheongwadae-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. It is located next to Gyeongbokgung, the palace during the Joseon Dynasty. Cheong Nam Dae - Cheong Nam Dae used to be one of the two residences for the President of Republic of Korea. It was returned to public in 2003, - It is located in Cheongwon-gun, North Chungcheong Province. Cheong Hae Dae - Cheong Hae Dae used to be one of the two residences for the President of Republic of Korea. Although the president no longer uses this facility this compound is still under the administration of the Republic of Korea Navy, - It is located on one of the islands of Geoje-shi, South Gyeongsang Province. Chongri Gonggwan - This is the residence for the Prime Minister of Republic of Korea. The Prime Minister, however, does not work here, - Its address is 111-2 Samcheongdong-gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. It is located close to Cheong Wa Dae, gukhoeuijang Gonggwan - This is the official residence for the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republic of Korea. The Speaker, also, does not work here, - It is located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where many foreign missions to Korea are located. Daebeobwonjang Gonggwan - This is the residence for the Chief Justice of Republic of Korea. The Chief Justice, also, does not work here, - It is also located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Most ministers of state and heads of administrative regions also have official residences, although they are not listed here. S
3.
Tskhinvali
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Tskhinvali is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region in Georgia. It has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia and three other UN members, South Ossetia is a de facto independent state that controls its claimed territory, in part with the support of Russian troops. Despite this, it is recognised by all other UN members as part of Georgia and it is located on the Great Liakhvi River approximately 100 kilometres northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The name of Tskhinvali is derived from the Old Georgian Krtskhinvali, from earlier Krtskhilvani, literally meaning the land of hornbeams, from 1934 to 1961, the city was named Staliniri, after Joseph Stalin. Modern Ossetians call the city Tskhinval, the other Ossetian name of the city is Chreba, the area around the present-day Tskhinvali was first populated back in the Bronze Age. The unearthed settlements and archaeological artifacts from that time are unique in that they reflect influences from both Iberian and Colchian cultures with possible Sarmatian elements, by the early 18th century, Tskhinvali was a small royal town populated chiefly by monastic serfs. Tskhinvali was annexed to the Russian Empire along with the rest of eastern Georgia in 1801, located on a trade route which linked North Caucasus to Tbilisi and Gori, Tskhinvali gradually developed into a commercial town with a mixed Jewish, Georgian, Armenian and Ossetian population. In the 1917 it had 600 houses with 38. 4% Jews,34. 4% Georgians,17. 7% Armenians and 8. 8% Ossetians. The town saw clashes between Georgian Peoples Guard and pro-Bolshevik Ossetian peasants during the 1918-20 period, when Georgia gained brief independence from Russia. Soviet rule was established by the invading Red Army in March 1921, subsequently, the town became largely Ossetian due to intense urbanisation and Soviet Korenizatsiya policy which induced an inflow of the Ossetians from the nearby rural areas into Tskhinvali. According to the last Soviet census, Tskhinvali had a population of 42,934, during the acute phase of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, Tskhinvali was a scene of ethnic tensions and ensuing armed confrontation between Georgian and Ossetian forces. The 1992 Sochi ceasefire accord left Tskhinvali in the hands of Ossetians, in late June,2008 Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer predicted that Vladimir Putin would start a war against Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia supposedly in August. At 8,00 am on 1 August, a Georgian police vehicle was blown up by an explosive device on the road near Tskhinvali. In response, Georgian snipers assaulted some of the South Ossetian border checkpoints, killing four Ossetians, Ossetian separatists began intensively shelling Georgian villages on 1 August, with a sporadic response from Georgian peacekeepers and other troops in the region. During the night of 1/2 August, grenades and mortar fire were exchanged, the number of Ossetian casualties rose to six and the number of injured to fifteen, including several civilians, the Georgian casualties were six injured civilians and one injured policeman. The Russian deputy defence minister, Nikolay Pankov, had a meeting with the separatist authorities in Tskhinvali on 3 August. An evacuation of Ossetian women and children to Russia began on the same day, on 5 August, Georgian authorities organised a tour for journalists and diplomats to demonstrate the damage supposedly caused by separatists. That day, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Yuri Popov declared that his country would intervene on the side of South Ossetia, the destruction of the village of Nuli was ordered by South Ossetian interior minister Mindzaev
4.
Term of office
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A term of office is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office. Being the origin of the Westminster system, aspects of the United Kingdoms system of government are replicated in other countries. The monarch serves as head of state until his or her death or abdication, in the United Kingdom Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected for the duration of the parliament. Following dissolution of the Parliament, an election is held which consists of simultaneous elections for all seats. For most MPs this means that their terms of office are identical to the duration of the Parliament, an MP elected in a by-election mid-way through a Parliament, regardless of how long they have occupied the seat, is not exempt from facing re-election at the next general election. The Septennial Act 1715 provided that a Parliament expired seven years after it had been summoned, prior to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 parliaments had no minimum duration. Parliaments could be dissolved early by the monarch at the Prime Ministers request, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 mandated that Parliaments should last their full five years. Early dissolution is possible, but under much more limited circumstances. Hereditary peers and life peers retain membership of the House of Lords for life, Lords Spiritual hold membership of the House of Lords until the end of their time as bishops, though a senior bishop may be made a life peer upon the end of their bishopric. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are variations on the system of government used at Westminster, the office of the leader of the devolved administrations has no numeric term limit imposed upon it. However, in the case of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government there are fixed terms for which the legislatures can sit and this is imposed at four years. Elections may be held before this time but only if no administration can be formed, offices of local government other regional elected officials follow similar rules to the national offices discussed above, with persons elected to fixed terms of a few years. Federal judges have different terms in office, however, the majority of the federal judiciary, Article III judges, such as those of the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and federal district courts, serve for life. The terms of office for officials in state governments according to the provisions of state constitutions. The term for state governors is four years in all states but Vermont and New Hampshire, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported in January 2007 that among state legislatures,44 states had terms of office for the lower house of the state legislature at two years. Five had terms of office at four years,37 states had terms of office for the upper house of the state legislature at four years
5.
Lyudvig Chibirov
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Lyudvig Alekseyevich Chibirov was the Chairman of the Parliament and later, following inaugural elections the first President of South Ossetia. Born in 1932, Chibirov is a member of the South Ossetian Parliament. Prior to the elections in 1996, he had been South Ossetias head of state since 1993, when the post of Chairman of the Parliament was abolished in favor of the presidency, Chibirov became the first occupant of the new office. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze blasted the elections calling them unlawful
6.
South Ossetia
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It has a population of 53,000 people which live in an area of 3,900 km2, south of the Russian Caucasus, with 30,000 living in its capital city of Tskhinvali. South Ossetia declared independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, the Georgian government responded by abolishing South Ossetias autonomy and trying to re-establish its control over the region by force. The crisis escalation led to the 1991–92 South Ossetia War, Georgian fighting against those controlling South Ossetia occurred on two other occasions, in 2004 and 2008. The latter conflict led to the Russo–Georgian War, during which Ossetian and Russian forces gained full de facto control of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. In the wake of the 2008 war, Russia, followed by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Georgia and a significant part of the international community consider South Ossetia to be occupied by the Russian military. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia, Russia does not allow European Union Monitoring Mission monitors to enter South Ossetia. South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are sometimes referred to as post-Soviet frozen conflict zones, the Ossetians are believed to originate from the Alans, a Sarmatian Iranian tribe. In the 17th century, Ossetians started migration from the North Caucasus to Georgia, Ossetian peasants, who were migrating to the mountainous areas of the South Caucasus, often settled in the lands of Georgian feudal lords. The Georgian King of the Kingdom of Kartli permitted Ossetians to immigrate, in the 1770s there were more Ossetians living in Kartli than ever before. This period has been documented in the diaries of Johann Anton Güldenstädt who visited Georgia in 1772. The Baltic German explorer called modern North Ossetia simply Ossetia, while he wrote that Kartli was populated by Georgians, Güldenstädt also wrote that the northernmost border of Kartli is the Major Caucasus Ridge. The Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, part of which was the territory of modern South Ossetia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801. Following the Russian revolution, the area of modern South Ossetia became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic policies of the central government, the tension soon transformed into ethnic conflict. The first Ossetian rebellion began in February 1918, when three Georgian princes were killed and their land was seized by the Ossetians, the central government of Tiflis retaliated by sending the National Guard to the area. However, the Georgian unit retreated after they had engaged the Ossetians, Ossetian rebels then proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and began attacking ethnic Georgian civilian population. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated. Between 3,000 and 7,000 Ossetians were killed during the crushing of the 1920 uprising, according to Ossetian sources ensuing hunger, the drawing of administrative boundaries of the South Ossetian AO was quite a complicated process. Many Georgian villages were included within the South Ossetian AO despite numerous protests by the Georgian population, while the city of Tskhinvali did not have a majority Ossetian population, it was made the capital of the South Ossetian AO
7.
Politics of South Ossetia
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It has a population of 53,000 people which live in an area of 3,900 km2, south of the Russian Caucasus, with 30,000 living in its capital city of Tskhinvali. South Ossetia declared independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, the Georgian government responded by abolishing South Ossetias autonomy and trying to re-establish its control over the region by force. The crisis escalation led to the 1991–92 South Ossetia War, Georgian fighting against those controlling South Ossetia occurred on two other occasions, in 2004 and 2008. The latter conflict led to the Russo–Georgian War, during which Ossetian and Russian forces gained full de facto control of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. In the wake of the 2008 war, Russia, followed by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Georgia and a significant part of the international community consider South Ossetia to be occupied by the Russian military. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia, Russia does not allow European Union Monitoring Mission monitors to enter South Ossetia. South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are sometimes referred to as post-Soviet frozen conflict zones, the Ossetians are believed to originate from the Alans, a Sarmatian Iranian tribe. In the 17th century, Ossetians started migration from the North Caucasus to Georgia, Ossetian peasants, who were migrating to the mountainous areas of the South Caucasus, often settled in the lands of Georgian feudal lords. The Georgian King of the Kingdom of Kartli permitted Ossetians to immigrate, in the 1770s there were more Ossetians living in Kartli than ever before. This period has been documented in the diaries of Johann Anton Güldenstädt who visited Georgia in 1772. The Baltic German explorer called modern North Ossetia simply Ossetia, while he wrote that Kartli was populated by Georgians, Güldenstädt also wrote that the northernmost border of Kartli is the Major Caucasus Ridge. The Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, part of which was the territory of modern South Ossetia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801. Following the Russian revolution, the area of modern South Ossetia became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic policies of the central government, the tension soon transformed into ethnic conflict. The first Ossetian rebellion began in February 1918, when three Georgian princes were killed and their land was seized by the Ossetians, the central government of Tiflis retaliated by sending the National Guard to the area. However, the Georgian unit retreated after they had engaged the Ossetians, Ossetian rebels then proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and began attacking ethnic Georgian civilian population. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated. Between 3,000 and 7,000 Ossetians were killed during the crushing of the 1920 uprising, according to Ossetian sources ensuing hunger, the drawing of administrative boundaries of the South Ossetian AO was quite a complicated process. Many Georgian villages were included within the South Ossetian AO despite numerous protests by the Georgian population, while the city of Tskhinvali did not have a majority Ossetian population, it was made the capital of the South Ossetian AO
8.
Government of South Ossetia
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The Government of the Republic of South Ossetia is the political leadership of the only partially recognized, but de facto independent, Republic of South Ossetia. South Ossetias head of state is the president, the current president is Leonid Tibilov, the head of government is the prime minister, who is supported by a cabinet of ministers. The current prime minister is Domenty Kulumbegov, in August,2009, then-president Eduard Kokoity dismissed Aslanbek Bulatsevs cabinet. It was said that Bulatsev had long been sick and had sought to resign. All ministers kept their posts for some time and work with new PM Vadim Brovtsev, source, Per August 24,2009, several ministries were abolished. Government of Georgia Politics of South Ossetia Politics of Georgia President of the Republic of South Ossetia, official site Ministry of Press and Mass Communications of the Republic of South Ossetia
9.
Parliament of South Ossetia
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The Parliament of South Ossetia is the unicameral legislature of the partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia. Members are elected using a system of Party-list proportional representation, South Ossetia has a multi-party system, and currently 4 political parties are represented in parliament. The parliament is headed by a speaker, who is elected from among the members, the current speaker is Anatoly Bibilov, chairman of United Ossetia. The parliament of South Ossetia meets in the capital Tskhinvali, the parliament building, built in 1937, was heavily damaged in the 2008 South Ossetia war. Until 27 November 1996, the speaker of the parliament was also Head of State, Torez Kulumbegov Znaur Gassiyev Torez Kulumbegov Lyudvig Chibirov Kosta Georgievich Dzugaev Stanislav Kochiev Znaur Gassiyev Stanislav Kochiev Zurab Kokoyev Stanislav Kochiev Anatoly Bibilov
10.
Elections in South Ossetia
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Elections in South Ossetia gives information on elections and election results in South Ossetia. South Ossetia elects on national level a head of state - the President -, the president is elected for a five term by the people. The Parliament of South Ossetia has 34 members, elected for a five-year term using party-list proportional representation, South Ossetia is a one party dominant state, with the Unity Party in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are considered to have no real chance of gaining power. Electoral calendar Electoral system Elections in Georgia South Ossetian electoral commission
11.
South Ossetian presidential election, 2012
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A presidential election was held in South Ossetia on 25 March, with a runoff scheduled on 8 April 2012. This election would choose the first full president since the country gained partial international recognition, the date was set by the parliament after the 2011 election was annulled by the Supreme Court after Alla Dzhioyeva was disqualified following allegations of electoral violations by Anatoly Bibilov. A deal was reached on 9 December 2011 under which the incumbent Kokoity stepped down at the end of his mandate and was replaced by Prime Minister Vadim Brovtsev as acting president. Though Dzhioyeva was previously barred from running again, she was allowed to register in the re-run of the election. However, Kokoity and his supporters reneged on parts of the deal, no candidate participating in the 2011 election registered, including the previous leaders Dzihoyeva and Bibilov. There were four registered candidates, Leonid Haritonovich Tibilov, candidate in the 2006 election, david Georgievich Sanakoyev, human rights commissioner. Dmitriy Nikolayevich Medoyev, ambassador of South Ossetia to Russia and backed by Russia, stanislav Yakovlevich Kochiyev, chairman of the Communist Party of South Ossetia and speaker of the Parliament of South Ossetia. Dzhioyeva did not register to run in the election after she was in hospital with allegations of being beaten, Tibilov and Sanakoyev disagreed with former President Eduard Kokoity who said that South Ossetia would eventually be a part of Russia. Sanakoyev said, In November–December, it very clear that those supported by Kokoity did not win. A week before the election, a poll by the IR media centre suggested Medoyev or Tibilov would win. In addition to Russian observers the election said that it would call on the Council of Europe. First round turnout was over 65%, with expatriate voting still to be counted, without an absolute winner the election was set for a run off. The second round occurred on Easter with 84 voting centres opening at 8,00 for the 35,000 registered voters. The preliminary result with 95. 64% of the ballots counted, indicated Tibilov winning with 53. 74%, or 15,257, of the votes, with Sanakoyev getting 42. 98%, or 12,272, of the votes. After the first round, Tibilov said that todays figures show that my candidacy is taken normally, lets hope the second round confirms this. He also denied having Russian backing, but said that he would consult Russia in choosing his new government, Georgia – Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said that South Ossetia staged a farce. No one will recognise these elections, no matter who wins, Minister for Reintegration Eka Tkeshelashvili said of that the election that it was a continuation of farce and an imitation of elections in the Russian-occupied ethnically-cleansed region. Russia – After the first round, the Public Chambers Maxim Grigoryev said that there were not material breaches, united States – The embassy in Georgia said it does not recognise the election
12.
South Ossetian parliamentary election, 2009
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A parliamentary election in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia recognised as an independent state by Russia and Nicaragua, was held in June 2009. According to the results, the highest number of votes went to the ruling Unity Party. Two opposition parties were not permitted to run out of concern that they not be loyal to Eduard Kokoity. Under laws of Georgia, the elections were illegal, the European Union, the United States, and NATO have issued statements saying these organisations consider the elections illegal, and have rejected their results. The Republic of South Ossetia has a population of about 70,000 and it has had de facto independence from central Georgian rule since the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. After the August 2008 South Ossetia war, Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia, other countries, including Georgia, consider South Ossetia part of Georgias constitutional territory. Four parties were contesting for 34 seats in the Parliament of South Ossetia, according to the central election commission,45,000 people were registered to vote on Sunday. This was the first South Ossetian election since the republic obtained its limited international recognition in 2008, about 100 Russian and international reporters arrived in South Ossetia to cover the event. Voters were able to cast ballots at 95 polling stations,88 in South Ossetia and 7 in Russia, no other overseas polling stations were open. The election was conducted using the party-list proportional representation system with a 7% election threshold. For South Ossetian authorities to consider the valid, the voter turnout would have been at least 50% +1 vote. If these criteria hadnt been fulfilled, the South Ossetian legislation provided for an election in four months. According to Reuters, Unity, Communists, and the Peoples party support the current President Eduard Kokoity, two opposition parties were barred from running. As of 10,00 UTC,59. 88% of registered voters had cast their votes, the South Ossetian election commission has thus declared the elections valid. The official results were expected by June 7, international observers Group of 11 observers, representing Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia noted the election was held complying with common democratic standards. Italian MEP Giulietto Chiesa commented, Europe The EU refused to either the legality of the election or its results. Georgia Georgia dismissed the election as illegitimate, on comments offered by the European Union and the United States, Nesterenko stated
13.
Provisional Administration of South Ossetia
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The Provisional Administration of South Ossetia is an administrative body that Georgia regards as the legal government of South Ossetia. The administration was set up by the Georgian government as a transitional measure leading to the settlement of South Ossetias status, as of 2007, Georgia is proposing the status of autonomous republic within the Georgian state. The area mainly lies within the Shida Kartli region, the Salvation Union of South Ossetia was founded in October 2006 by the ethnic Ossetians who were outspoken critics and presented a serious opposition to secessionist authorities of Eduard Kokoity. Another referendum was organised shortly after asking for the start of negotiations with Georgia on an arrangement for South Ossetia received 94% support. However the Salvation Union of South Ossetia turned down a request from a Georgian NGO, “Multinational Georgia”, to monitor it, “I, the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, declare before God and Nation that I will protect the interests of the South Ossetian people. Soon after Sanakoev formed his government, appointing Uruzmag Karkusov as Prime Minister, Jemal Karkusov as Interior Minister and Maia Chigoeva-Tsaboshvili as Foreign Minister. A year ago no one could imagine that South Ossetian flags could appear here in the Georgian-populated village, ” Vladimir Sanakoev, co-founder of the Salvation Union of South Ossetia, said. There were large number of Ossetian flags also used by the South Ossetian secessionist authorities, flown alongside the Georgian flag in Kurta, South Ossetian flags are usually displayed in Tskhinvali by the Separatist controlled territories of the breakaway region alongside of the Russian national flag. Both the central Georgian government and Sanakoyevs administration considers any negotiations with Kokoitys government meaningless because of its dependence on Moscow, on May 10,2007 Dmitry Sanakoev was appointed head of the provisional administration in South Ossetia. For the first time since the fall of Soviet Union, the former Ossetian secessionist leader gave a speech in the Georgian parliament on May 11,2007. ” and we should not allow it, ” he added. “This is our current challenge, this is our current goal, to create a new Ossetia, strong and delightful, free of violence, on June 15,2007 European Union, European Parliament and OSCE supported Georgian initiative for conflict settlement in South Ossetia. The EU mission had met with both Sanakoev and Kokoity in January,2007, according to the Georgian officials, the status will be elaborated within the framework of an all-inclusive dialogue with all the forces and communities within the Ossetian society. On August 8,2008, the day as the 2008 Olympic Games officially commenced. In the next few days, Russian troops pushed back the Georgian army out of South Ossetia and moved farther, following the end of hostilities, the Federation Council of Russia called an extraordinary session for August 25,2008 to discuss recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. On August 25, the Federation Council unanimously voted to ask the Russian President to recognise independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Russian parliament voted in favour of this motion the following day. South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia Provisional Administration Website
14.
Politics of Georgia (country)
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Politics in Georgia involve a semi-presidential representative democratic republic with a multi-party system. The President of Georgia is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Georgia is the head of the Cabinet of Georgia, the President and Cabinet wield executive power. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Georgia, after the Rose Revolution of 2003, the National Movement - Democrats dominated the party system. Georgia became a republic following the first multiparty, democratic parliamentary elections of October 28,1990. The Georgian state is highly centralized, except for the regions of Abkhazia and Adjara. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which had autonomy within the Georgian SSR during Soviet rule, while as of 2016 the Georgian government recognizes Abkhazia as autonomous within Georgia, it does not recognize South Ossetia as having any special status. Following a crisis involving allegations of fraud in the 2003 parliamentary elections, Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as president on November 23,2003. The interim president was the speaker of the parliament, Nino Burjanadze. On January 4,2004 Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the United National Movement won the presidential election and was inaugurated on January 25. Fresh parliamentary elections were held on March 28,2004, where the United National Movements parliamentary faction, only one other party reached the 7% threshold, the Rightist Opposition with ca.7. 5%. Despite recognizing progress the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe noted the tendency to state administration resources in favor of the ruling party. On May 5, Abashidze was forced to flee Georgia as mass demonstrations in Batumi called for his resignation and Russia increased their pressure by deploying Security Council secretary Igor Ivanov. On February 3,2005, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent gas leak at the home of Raul Usupov, later, Zhvanias close friend and a long-time ally, Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli was appointed for the post by President Saakashvili. Under the Saakasvili administration Georgia has achieved progress in eradicating corruption. In 2008 Transparency International ranked Georgia 67th in its Corruption Perceptions Index and this represents the best result among the CIS countries and a dramatic improvement on Georgias score in 2004, when the country was ranked 133rd with 2.0 points. In January 2006 a new party, Georgias Way, was created, the movement is led by former Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, and appears to be relatively popular. President Saakashvili ranked first with 33% - an all-time low for the Georgian President - whilst no other individual managed to surpass double-digit levels of support. Georgias Way has said it intends to have candidates for all the seats in Georgias upcoming local elections, on November 7,2007, during a period of mass protests, President Saakashvili declared Tbilisi to be in a state of emergency
15.
Head of state
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A head of state is the public persona that officially represents the national unity and legitimacy of a sovereign state. In some countries, the head of state is a figurehead with limited or no executive power, while in others. Former French president Charles de Gaulle, while developing the current Constitution of France, some academic writers discuss states and governments in terms of models. An independent nation state normally has a head of state, the non-executive model, in which the head of state has either none or very limited executive powers, and mainly has a ceremonial and symbolic role. In parliamentary systems the head of state may be merely the chief executive officer, heading the executive branch of the state. This accountability and legitimacy requires that someone be chosen who has a majority support in the legislature and it also gives the legislature the right to vote down the head of government and their cabinet, forcing it either to resign or seek a parliamentary dissolution. In parliamentary constitutional monarchies, the legitimacy of the head of state typically derives from the tacit approval of the people via the elected representatives. In reality, numerous variants exist to the position of a head of state within a parliamentary system, usually, the king had the power of declaring war without previous consent of the parliament. For example, under the 1848 constitution of the Kingdom of Italy, the Statuto Albertino—the parliamentary approval to the government appointed by the king—was customary, so, Italy had a de facto parliamentarian system, but a de jure presidential system. These officials are excluded completely from the executive, they do not possess even theoretical executive powers or any role, even formal, hence their states governments are not referred to by the traditional parliamentary model head of state styles of His/Her Majestys Government or His/Her Excellencys Government. Within this general category, variants in terms of powers and functions may exist, the constitution explicitly vests all executive power in the Cabinet, who is chaired by the prime minister and responsible to the Diet. The emperor is defined in the constitution as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people and he is a ceremonial figurehead with no independent discretionary powers related to the governance of Japan. Today, the Speaker of the Riksdag appoints the prime minister, Cabinet members are appointed and dismissed at the sole discretion of the prime minister. In contrast, the contact the President of Ireland has with the Irish government is through a formal briefing session given by the taoiseach to the president. However, he or she has no access to documentation and all access to ministers goes through the Department of the Taoiseach. The president does, however, hold limited reserve powers, such as referring a bill to the court to test its constitutionality. The most extreme non-executive republican Head of State is the President of Israel, semi-presidential systems combine features of presidential and parliamentary systems, notably a requirement that the government be answerable to both the president and the legislature. The constitution of the Fifth French Republic provides for a minister who is chosen by the president
16.
Georgia (country)
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Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. The capital and largest city is Tbilisi, Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 square kilometres, and its 2016 population is about 3.72 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy, during the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia adopted Christianity in the early 4th century, a unified Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 12th and early 13th centuries. Thereafter the kingdom declined and eventually disintegrated under hegemony of various powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire. Russian rule over Georgia was eventually acknowledged in various treaties with Iran. Since the establishment of the modern Georgian republic in April 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil, the countrys Western orientation soon led to the worsening of relations with Russia, culminating in the brief Russo-Georgian War in August 2008. Georgia is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and it contains two de facto independent regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which gained limited international recognition after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Georgia and a part of the international community consider the regions to be part of Georgias sovereign territory under Russian military occupation. Georgia probably stems from the Persian designation of the Georgians – gurğān, in the 11th and 12th centuries adapted via Syriac gurz-ān/gurz-iyān, starting with the Persian word gurğ/gurğān, the word was later adopted in numerous other languages, including Slavic and West European languages. This term itself might have established through the ancient Iranian appellation of the near-Caspian region. The self-designation used by ethnic Georgians is Kartvelebi, the medieval Georgian Chronicles present an eponymous ancestor of the Kartvelians, Kartlos, a great-grandson of Japheth. However, scholars agree that the word is derived from the Karts, the name Sakartvelo consists of two parts. Its root, kartvel-i, specifies an inhabitant of the core central-eastern Georgian region of Kartli, ancient Greeks and Romans referred to early western Georgians as Colchians and eastern Georgians as Iberians. Today the full, official name of the country is Georgia, before the 1995 constitution came into force the countrys name was the Republic of Georgia. The territory of modern-day Georgia was inhabited by Homo erectus since the Paleolithic Era, the proto-Georgian tribes first appear in written history in the 12th century BC. The earliest evidence of wine to date has found in Georgia. In fact, early metallurgy started in Georgia during the 6th millennium BC, the classical period saw the rise of a number of early Georgian states, the principal of which was Colchis in the west and Iberia in the east
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Znaur Gassiev
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Gassiev was born in Tskhinvali in 1925, but soon moved with his parents to Moscow. In 1935 the family went back to Tskhinvali, where Znaur Gassiev finished secondary school in 1942. He enrolled in the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the South Ossetian State Pedagogical Institute, upon completion of his studies in 1947, he started working as a teacher, teaching mathematics and physics in various schools in Tskhinvali. He then started working at the Mining Department of Kvaisa, where he held several ranks, Gassiev subsequently moved into politics, first working as the head of the industrial and transport committee of Dzau district. In the early 1960s, he was appointed the chairman of the Tskhinvali branch of the Georgian Communist Party, in 1963, he went to the Higher Party School, from which he graduated with honours in 1965. Then, until 1972, he worked as deputy chairman of the South Ossetian executive committee, in 1991, when armed aggression was starting, he was elected first secretary of the South Ossetian Communist Party, and also headed the Supreme Council when South Ossetia declared its independence. As chairman of parliament, Gassiev was Head of State of South Ossetia, in early 1992, Gassiev handed over power to Torez Kulumbegov, a former chairman of the Supreme Council, who had been imprisoned in Tblisi by Georgian police until then. Since 1992, Gassiev remained active in politics, being re-elected as an MP in the 1994 election, Gassiev was once again elected in the 2004 election, where he ran as a member of President Eduard Kokoitys Unity Party. Following the Unity Partys electoral victory, Gassiev was once again elected chairman of Parliament, after the 2008 South Ossetia war, Gassiev was appointed head of the governments commission to deal with the resulting emergencies. Gassiev, then 84 years old, did not run in the 2009 election, on 27 October 2010, Gassiev was appointed State Advisor to President Eduard Kokoity. His death was announced on 6 March 2016
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Eduard Kokoity
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Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoity is the former President of South Ossetia. His term in office lasted just over ten years, beginning December 2001, eduard Kokoity was born in Tskhinvali, in the Georgian SSR, a part of the Soviet Union at the time. He was a member, and champion, of the Soviet Unions national wrestling team, prior to 1989, he was the First Secretary of the Tskhinvali branch of the Komsomol, the Young Communist League. He moved to Moscow in 1992, where he became a businessman, in 2001, he moved back to South Ossetia. Kokoity was elected president, at the age of 38, with a majority in the elections of November–December 2001. In the first round of the elections on 18 November 2001, he collected 45% of the vote, with Stanislav Kochiev collecting 24%, in the Second and final round, he won 53% of the vote to Stanislav Kochievs 40% on 6 December. Kokoity assumed office on 18 December 2001, Kokoitys victory was unexpected and owed much to the support of the Tedeyev clan, one of South Ossetias most powerful families. He had gained key support from Albert Dik Tedeyev and his brother Dzhambolat, also a champion wrestler, the clan had previously supported Lyudvig Chibirov, but broke off support for him after he attempted to move against them. After Kokoity was elected president, members of the Tedeyev clan took over responsibility for the customs service. Revenues from the highway provide much of the South Ossetian governments revenue, in July 2003, Kokoity moved against the Tedeyevs. Sacking Albert Tedeyev, the Secretary of the Security Council, according to Kokoity, the Security Council Secretary, along with the Defense and Security Chiefs had links with criminals. The affair prompted an outbreak of gunfire in Tskhinvali, but no casualties were reported, following a tense stand-off with the central Georgian government in July 2004, he claimed Georgia wants war. But we are ready for self-defense and he was reelected on 12 November 2006 following the 2006 presidential election. On the same day, Georgian-backed forces organized an election in the territories controlled by Georgia or only loosely controlled by the South Ossetian government. Dmitry Sanakoyev, a prime minister of South Ossetia, who was sacked by Kokoity in 2001, was elected as a rival president. On 10 December 2011, he resigned as President of South Ossetia, Prime Minister Vadim Brovtsev was acting president until the presidential election rerun on 25 March 2012. Eduard Kokoity was constitutionally barred from serving a term in office. Although attempts were made to call a referendum to change the constitution, Kokoity himself stated he had no intention in seeking a third term, and called on everybody to refrain from initiatives to allow him to serve a third term
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Vadim Brovtsev
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Brovtsev had served in the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces. From 2005 until his appointment to a political post, Brovtsev was head of the board of directors of Russian construction company Vermikulit based in the city of Chelyabinsk, of Russian ethnicity, he was born in Chelyabinsk-65 in 1969. 24 out of 27 MPs voted in favour of Brovtsev as the new PM, in April 2010, Brovtsev came under heavy criticism from various sides. It was claimed that he did not manage Russias monetary aid to rebuild destroyed South Ossetian buildings very well. Several members of the South Ossetian parliament called for Brovtsev to resign, and brought a motion of no confidence to the parliamentary debating floor, on 5 May, president Eduard Kokoity appeared before parliament, reiterating his support for Brovtsev. Parliament still passed a motion, creating a commission to review the governments activities, the commission is to be led by deputy chairman of parliament and former Prime Minister Zurab Kokoyev, and among its other members is also former Prime Minister Merab Chigoev. Brovtsev, on the hand is credited 37. 8% positive and 10. 9% negative. Kokoitys advisor Kosta Dzugaev called the poll lies, stating that the MTsPA had never any actual research in South Ossetia. The MTsPA has been linked to the website rsoinform. com, an agency reporting favorably about Brovtsev. South Ossetian government press agency OSinform states, however, that it is not official and it is speculated that Brovtsev himself is linked to these institutions. In an effort to defend himself against media attacks, Brovtsev has sued several media, apparently the lawsuit at first included OSInform, leading to a somewhat embarrassing situation for Brovtsev, who did not know OSInform is the South Ossetian state information agency. Brovtsev is married and has two children
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Leonid Tibilov
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Leonid Tibilov is a South Ossetian politician who is the President of South Ossetia after winning the 2012 South Ossetian presidential election. Leonid Tibilov headed the South Ossetian KGB from 1992 to 1998 and he was then a first deputy prime minister and co-chaired a Georgian-Ossetian peacekeeping commission. Tibilov stood at the 2006 presidential election losing to Eduard Kokoity, before the 2012 election Tibilov distanced himself from the outgoing President Kokoity. Tibilov is reported to be loyal to Russia and pledged to consult Russia before appointing a government if he was successful at the election, in the first round of the 2012 Presidential election, Tibilov received 42. 5% of the vote to lead David Sanakoyev. In the second round, Tibilov was elected president with 54% of the vote
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Stanislav Kochiev
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Stanislav Jakovlevich Kochiev is a South Ossetian politician, who is a former presidential candidate and former chairman of the Parliament of South Ossetia. Kochiev was born in Kurta, and went to school in Tskhinvali and he graduated in 1977 and went to work as a high school history teacher. In 1980, Kochiev joined the branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1991, after South Ossetias declaration of independence, Kochiyev headed the Committee on National Affairs, Kochiev was elected first secretary of the Communist Party of South Ossetia, the party he still leads today. First elected into parliament in the 1990 election, he has been a member ever since, in the 2004 election, the Communist Party was defeated and Kochiev was replaced as speaker with Znaur Gassiev. Although the Communist Party did not fare better in the 2009 election. The Communist Party fared poorly in the 2014 election, losing all its seats, Kochiev was replaced as speaker by Anatoly Bibilov of United Ossetia. In the presidential election of 2001, Kochiev finished second with 25% of the vote, Kochiev lost the runoff 40% to 53%. Kochiev is married and has one daughter
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None of the above
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It is based on the principle that consent requires the ability to withhold consent in an election, just as they can by voting “No” on ballot questions. Entities that include None of the Above on ballots as standard procedure include India, Greece, the U. S. state of Nevada, Ukraine, Spain, Russia had such an option on its ballots until it was abolished in 2006. Bangladesh introduced this option in 2008, Pakistan introduced this option on ballot papers for the 2013 Pakistan elections, but the Election Commission of Pakistan later rejected it. Beginning with the 2016 presidential election, Bulgaria introduced a none of the above option, when “None of the Above” is listed on a ballot, there is the possibility of NOTA receiving a majority or plurality of the vote, and so winning the election. Due to the Spanish voting regulations, the ballot is recognized as none of the above but has very little chance to influence the distribution of seats within a democratic election. It is mostly considered as an indicator of candidatures disapproval. The blank ballots only increase the amount of votes, raising the threshold of votes which every political party has to overcome to be fully considered. The parties over the threshold get their seats according to the DHondt method, since 1999, several political parties have arisen in order to make visible the none of the above option in the parliaments and force empty seats. Blank Seats ran for the Congress and Senate elections of 20 November 2011 and its programme is to leave empty the corresponding assigned seats by not taking full possession of their duties as congressperson, senator, etc. According to law, the remains assigned to the elected candidate until the possession act takes place. In this way, the party and its candidates stay free from obligations and are not entitled to receive any money from the public funding scheme for politics. Overall, citizenship supported Blank Seats at different municipalities, including Barcelona, the origins of the ballot option None of the Above in the United States can be traced to when the State of Nevada adopted None of These Candidates as a ballot option in 1976. But the measure was defeated in the March 2000 general election 64% to 36%, No similar options were known to have been permitted, much less approved, on any other state levels, least of all the federal level, as of the middle of August 2016. The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court in 2009 that it wished to offer the voter a none of the option on ballots. The Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, an organisation, filed a public-interest litigation statement in support of this. The Election Commission also clarified that even though votes cast as NOTA are counted and they are not taken into account for calculating the total valid votes and will not be considered for determining the forfeiture of security deposit. In the 2014 general election, NOTA polled 1. 1% of the votes, the specific symbol for NOTA, a ballot paper with a black cross across it, was introduced on 18 September 2015. The symbol is designed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, UK electoral counting procedures require that all votes be counted and announced, including rejected votes
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History of South Ossetia
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It has a population of 53,000 people which live in an area of 3,900 km2, south of the Russian Caucasus, with 30,000 living in its capital city of Tskhinvali. South Ossetia declared independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, the Georgian government responded by abolishing South Ossetias autonomy and trying to re-establish its control over the region by force. The crisis escalation led to the 1991–92 South Ossetia War, Georgian fighting against those controlling South Ossetia occurred on two other occasions, in 2004 and 2008. The latter conflict led to the Russo–Georgian War, during which Ossetian and Russian forces gained full de facto control of the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. In the wake of the 2008 war, Russia, followed by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Georgia and a significant part of the international community consider South Ossetia to be occupied by the Russian military. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia, Russia does not allow European Union Monitoring Mission monitors to enter South Ossetia. South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are sometimes referred to as post-Soviet frozen conflict zones, the Ossetians are believed to originate from the Alans, a Sarmatian Iranian tribe. In the 17th century, Ossetians started migration from the North Caucasus to Georgia, Ossetian peasants, who were migrating to the mountainous areas of the South Caucasus, often settled in the lands of Georgian feudal lords. The Georgian King of the Kingdom of Kartli permitted Ossetians to immigrate, in the 1770s there were more Ossetians living in Kartli than ever before. This period has been documented in the diaries of Johann Anton Güldenstädt who visited Georgia in 1772. The Baltic German explorer called modern North Ossetia simply Ossetia, while he wrote that Kartli was populated by Georgians, Güldenstädt also wrote that the northernmost border of Kartli is the Major Caucasus Ridge. The Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, part of which was the territory of modern South Ossetia, was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801. Following the Russian revolution, the area of modern South Ossetia became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, although the Ossetians were initially discontented with the economic policies of the central government, the tension soon transformed into ethnic conflict. The first Ossetian rebellion began in February 1918, when three Georgian princes were killed and their land was seized by the Ossetians, the central government of Tiflis retaliated by sending the National Guard to the area. However, the Georgian unit retreated after they had engaged the Ossetians, Ossetian rebels then proceeded to occupy the town of Tskhinvali and began attacking ethnic Georgian civilian population. During uprisings in 1919 and 1920, the Ossetians were covertly supported by Soviet Russia, but even so, were defeated. Between 3,000 and 7,000 Ossetians were killed during the crushing of the 1920 uprising, according to Ossetian sources ensuing hunger, the drawing of administrative boundaries of the South Ossetian AO was quite a complicated process. Many Georgian villages were included within the South Ossetian AO despite numerous protests by the Georgian population, while the city of Tskhinvali did not have a majority Ossetian population, it was made the capital of the South Ossetian AO
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History of Georgia (country)
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The country of Georgia was first unified as a single kingdom in 1008 AD, arising from the ancient predecessor states of Colchis and Iberia. The Kingdom of Georgia flourished and reached its Golden Age during the 10th to 13th centuries under King David IV, lasting for several centuries, the kingdom fell to the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, but managed to re-assert sovereignty by the 1340s. Throughout the early period, Georgia fell into decline as it clashed against various hostile empires, including Ottoman Empire. The kingdoms geopolitical situation further worsened after the Fall of Constantinople, as a result of these processes, by the end of the 15th century Georgia turned into an isolated, Christian enclave, surrounded by hostile Turco-Iranic neighbors with which it had little in common. Renewed incursions beginning in 1386 led to the collapse of the kingdom by 1493. Georgia’s geopolitical landscape began to shift in 1783, when the struggling Eastern Georgia forged an alliance with the Russian Empire and this led to the gradual, forced annexation of Georgia by Russia starting in 1801. Present-day Georgia has been independent since the Soviet collapse in 1991, post-communist Georgia was almost immediately beset by Russian-backed separatist rebellions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It also suffered from civil unrest and economic crisis for most of the 1990s and this lasted until the Rose Revolution of 2003, when Georgia pursued a strongly pro-Western foreign policy, introducing major economic and democratic reforms. Notwithstanding these crises and the change of political forces in the country, as a developing economy, Georgia made significant changes, moving from a near-failed state in 2003 to a relatively well-functioning market economy in 2014. In 2014, Georgia joined the European Unions Free Trade Area, evidence for the earliest occupation of the territory of present-day Georgia goes back to c.1.8 million years ago, as evident from the excavations of Dmanisi in the south-eastern part of the country. This is the oldest evidence of humans in Europe, later prehistoric remains are known from numerous cave and open-air sites in Georgia. Numerous excavations in tell settlements of the Shulaveri-Shomu type have been conducted since the 1960s, the earliest evidence of wine to date has been found in Georgia, where 8000-year old wine jars were uncovered. Early metallurgy started in Georgia during the 6th millennium BC, associated with the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, from the beginning of the 4th millennium, metals became used to larger extend in East Georgia and in the whole Transcaucasian region. These dwellings were circular or oval in plan, a feature being the central pier. These features were used and further developed in building Georgian dwellings, in the Chalcolithic period of the fourth and third millennia BC, Georgia and eastern Asia Minor were home to the Kura-Araxes culture, giving way in the second millennium BC. to the Trialeti culture. Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of settlements at Beshtasheni and Ozni, together, they testify to an advanced and well-developed culture of building and architecture. Diauehi, a union of early-Georgians, first appear in written history in the 12th century BC. Between 2100 and 750 BC, the area survived the invasions by the Hittites, Urartians, Medes, at the same period, the ethnic unity of Proto-Kartvelians broke up into several branches, among them Svans, Zans/Chans and East-Kartvelians
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Russo-Georgian War
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The Russo-Georgian War was a war between Georgia, Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war took place in August 2008 following a period of worsening relations between Russia and Georgia, both constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The fighting took place in the strategically important Transcaucasia region, which borders the Middle East and it was regarded as the first European war of the 21st century. The Republic of Georgia declared its independence in early 1991 as the Soviet Union began to fall apart, following the war, a joint peacekeeping force of Georgian, Russian, and Ossetian troops was stationed in the territory. Meanwhile, a stalemate developed in the region of Abkhazia. By August 1,2008, Ossetian separatists began shelling Georgian villages, to put an end to these deadly attacks and restore order, the Georgian Army was sent to the South Ossetian conflict zone on 7 August. Georgians took control of most of Tskhinvali, a separatist stronghold, Georgia later stated it was also responding to Russia moving non-peacekeeping units into the country. Russia accused Georgia of aggression against South Ossetia, and launched a land, air. Russian and Ossetian forces battled Georgian forces in and around South Ossetia for several days, Russian and Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge held by Georgia. Russian naval forces blockaded part of the Georgian coast and this was the first war in history in which cyber warfare coincided with military action. An active information war was waged during and after the conflict. President of France Nicolas Sarkozy negotiated an agreement on 12 August. Russian forces temporarily occupied the Georgian cities of Zugdidi, Senaki, Poti, the South Ossetians destroyed most ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and were responsible for an ethnic cleansing of Georgians. Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics on 26 August, in response, Russia mostly completed its withdrawal of troops from Georgia proper on 8 October. In the aftermath, Russias international relations were largely unharmed, the war displaced 192,000 people and while many returned to their homes after the war,20,272 people remained displaced as of 2014. Russia has, since the war, occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia in violation of the agreement of August 2008. In the tenth century AD, Georgia for the first time emerged as a concept in the territories where the Georgian language was used to perform Christian rituals. After the Mongol invasions of the region, the Kingdom of Georgia eventually was broken up into several kingdoms, in the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire gradually annexed the Georgian lands
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Foreign relations of South Ossetia
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The Republic of South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed state which is recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Transnistria. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in 1991, but did not receive recognition from any UN member states until after the 2008 South Ossetia war, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Transnistria, recognized each others independence on November 17,2006. On September 5,2008, Nicaragua became the second UN member state to recognize South Ossetia, on August 26,2008, Russia became the first UN member state to recognize South Ossetia. Russia plans on building an embassy in Tskhinval, on September 10,2009, Venezuela became the third UN member state to recognize South Ossetia. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus welcomed Russian recognition of South Ossetia, the militant Palestinian organization Hamas also welcomed the recognition of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. South Ossetia does not belong to any international organizations as of March 2009 besides the Community for Democracy, international recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Ossetia Website
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Military of South Ossetia
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The force numbers about 2,500 men, or 16,000, including reservists. The South Ossetian military fought against the Georgian forces in the 2008 South Ossetia war, at the time of the major Georgian offensive, the bulk of the Ossetian force was concentrated in the settlement of Java to the north of Tskhinvali. According one estimate, the losses of the South Ossetian military forces, militia, the South Ossetian units are to be incorporated into the Russian military but remain separate units. The South Ossetian military has a total of 16,000 soldiers,2,500 soldiers are on active duty and 13,500 are reservists. South Ossetian Army South Ossetian Air Corps Photogallery of the 20 September 2008 military parade in Tskhinvali Armed Forces the Caucasian countries
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National Anthem of South Ossetia
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The National Anthem of South Ossetia was adopted on May 5,1995. The lyrics were written by Totraz Kokaev, and the music was written by Felix Alborov, for the glory of thy name, we stand upright like a candle, Thou art the age-old cradle of our love, Thou art our joy and sorrow. We swear by thy earth, We honour thy name highly, We serve thee with all our hearts, do give thy bliss, thy blessing, happiness to Ossetia. Thy past has been hard, oh Ossetian land, Black evil has followed thee, yet through the truth of thy fortune, thy hardships were forgotten. Towards the light of life Thou always have walked, In times of hardship Thy hope was not broken, do give thy bliss, thy blessing, happiness to Ossetia. Do give Ossetian society thy bliss, thy blessing, good luck on the road, pride of our ancestors, home of the Ossetes. Do give thy bliss, thy blessing, happiness to our beloved Ossetia, National anthems List of national anthems Anthem of South Ossetia - The Russian language website Osinform features a page on the anthem, with new recordings. The Russian language website Iriston features a version of the anthem listed as gimn_ryuo. mp3 Respublikæ Xussar Irystony Paddzaxadon Gimn -
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Caucasian cuisine
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Armenias variant, with yogurt, barley and cilantro is called spas, and is served hot or cold. Khash Kharcho - Georgian soup containing beef, rice, cherry plum purée, the flatbreads may be filled with meat, cheese, eggs, potatoes, pumpkin etc. A Taste of Thyme, Culinary Cultures of the Middle East, london & New York, Tauris Parke Paperbacks. Armenian Food, Fact, Fiction & Folklore
