Abkhazia Part 9 - The European view about Abkhazia Part I

European view on Abkhazia, part I. The Republic of Abkhazia: Paradise in limbo. Film Box2 TV.

About Abkhazia today it is a lot of and hotly speak. The small country has stood at first in war, then in economic blockade. It has proclaimed the independence and achieves the international recognition. The background of it de-facto the sovereign state is known very much by the few...

Today many of Abkhazia and very heated discussion. This small country after the war was an economic blockade. Abkhazia declared its independence and seeking international recognition, but this is a de facto sovereign state, very little is known in the West for several reasons ...

If we take an alphabetical list of people on our planet, one of the first names that we will see, will Abkhazians. Who are the Abkhazians, and where is Abkhazia? These are questions that, along with many others, is designed to answer the film. My name is George Hewitt, I professor of Caucasian languages at London School of Oriental and African Studies.

I would like to invite you to take a journey with me, during which I'll pass on the whole of Abkhazia - this is truly the pearl of the Caucasus - to familiarize yourself with all its treasures. Here we go!

So, where Abkhazia? It takes a very small triangular shape piece of territory in the extreme north-west of the Caucasus, or as politically correct today insist lobbyists, the South Caucasus. Bounded by the Black Sea, Georgia, and the highest in Europe, the Greater Caucasus Mountains, its northern border with Russia lies on the Psou River, and stretches about 170 kilometers south-easterly direction towards the Georgian border which runs along the river Inguri.

Many view the Caucasus as a dividing line between Europe and Asia, others not quite sure yet, I'm in Europe now, or I'm in Asia? But it seems that no one can answer this, then let us come to a compromise and agree to the fact that those who inhabit the isthmus between the Black and Caspian seas, live on the border between Europe and Asia, forming a bridge between the two continents. The bridge, which is somewhat more stable than the one on which I now have to stand.

And now we are at the place of ancient Greek colony Pitsunda, in the west of Abkhazia. It was just one of a number of colonies based Greeks of the Black Sea. This part of the world was known to the ancient Greeks and the ancient people in general, as part of the region, which they called Colchis. The word "Colchis" is well known to anyone who has read or heard the myth of Jason and the Argonauts.

This land is full of stories, standing here I just bent down and discovered this piece of ceramics, but it is not dated mid first millennium AD, and the first centuries of our era, and is a fragment of Greek amphora in which to store wine. You can ask - why this area is called Pitsunda? The answer is quite easy, but for that we need to move away a little closer to the shore, and the answer will be clear to us at first sight!

So, we are on the beach just a few hundred meters from the place where we just stood there, and everywhere around me, as you can see these magnificent pines grow. This type of pine grows at this place has for thousands of years, and apart from this place he would never meet.

Thus, the name Pitsunda obvious as it is related to the word "pine", which in ancient Greek sounded like "Pitius." The ancient Greeks called this place "Pitius omegas," or "a great place to grow pine trees." Objective case of the word "Pitius" Pitiunda turns and gives us Pitiunda Pitsunda - under this name the place and we know today.

But, of course Pitsunda famous mainly by the fact that she is the most famous resort not only in Abkhazia, but also in the Caucasus. It is easy to see why it has such a reputation among the thousands of tourists, mainly from the former Soviet bloc, and now from Russia, if we just look Okino this stunningly beautiful bay.

Abkhazia, and in particular Pitsunda, played a significant role in the event a truly global significance. In the early sixties of the last century, Nikita Khrushchev was on vacation at his country house, situated among the trees behind me. Once, when he was sitting on the porch, he was asked whether he knew that the Americans (meaning the U.S.) in Turkey, on the other side of the Black Sea, there are nuclear missiles aimed at the Soviet various objects. As it turned out, he did not know this, but decided that he should take some countermeasures. Khrushchev set the Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba, and thus brought the world closer than ever he was, to a nuclear disaster.

- George, I'm glad to see you, I'm glad that you did manage to come! Let's talk about the film.

- Yes, yes, great! Let's sit over there and a little talk.

- Lord Nicholas Rea (Lord Nicholas Rea), I'm glad to see you here - Abkhazia - excellent, you still managed to come here, and I would like to clarify that we are now in the center of Sukhumi, the seaside. This is the famous place where elderly people gather, often former politicians, or scientists, and they love to play chess here, hiding from the heat under the trees. Maybe we'll play one game at the time of our conversation?

- Yes, yes, great! You play white, but it seems that everything goes as it should go. I am an old man, in politics, so I'm on full law can not sit here (laughs), and playing chess. But seriously, George, before coming here, I tried to find out anything about Abkhazia, but perhaps I should hear from you, that is, in your opinion, the most important issues currently facing Abkhazia.

- Well, first of all, as you know, in 1992 - 1993 years there was a war with Georgia, and after this, the country has long been under siege, it is even now not fully open to the outside world. Foreigners are still hard to get here, and apart from a little Russian who puts any investment here, and although the country has much to offer the world, the world does not know about it nothing.

Fourteen years have passed since the war, and the situation here can be characterized as "no war, no peace", because Abkhazia although de facto achieved independence, but she is trying to get its recognition in law.

And now, we're doing a movie about Abkhazia, its people, the country, the political problems, because we hope that it can help the Western public to understand what is it like to Abkhazia, and how it can help solve some political problems.

- Of course, I'm curious, just being here, watching this film, and yet, looking away, everything seems so idyllic and peaceful life goes on as usual. I would be very interested to know this country.

- Well, as you know, we try to arrange your visit to Abkhazia, so you can see the country and meet with its people, including of course the President. Talking about the beauty of Abkhazia want to recall the words of a poet, "it was her beauty brought Abkhazia much grief." It's sad to realize, meaning those who during the whole history of Abkhazia tried to control this country.

We'll meet again at the end of your stay, and I would like to know your opinion about Abkhazia, the people living here, about their problems.

- Well, and now it seems my move?

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