The office of Minister for Defence ( ab, атәыла хьчара аминистр, ka, თავდაცვის მინისტრი, russian: министр обороны) has been one of the most important in the breakaway
Republic of Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
due to the ongoing
conflict with Georgia.
[ The person in the position heads the ]Ministry of Defence of Abkhazia
The Ministry of Defense of Abkhazia ( ab, Аԥсны Атәлахьчара Аминистрра, russian: Министерства обороны Абхазия) is an agency of the partially recognized Government of the Republic of Abkhazia. It ...
, which controls the Abkhazian Armed Forces
The Abkhazian Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Abkhazia. The forces were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz Na ...
.
History
The position was created 11 October 1992, shortly after the outbreak of the 1992-1993 war with Georgia. The first Minister for Defence was Vladimir Arshba
Vladimir Georgievich Arshba (russian: Владимир Георгиевич Аршба; 8 May 1959 – 16 January 2018) was an Abkhaz soldier and politician who served as the first Minister of Defence of the Republic of Abkhazia, an unrecognised ...
, but due to his injuries, for most of the time his functions were carried out by Deputy Minister for Defence and Chief of the General Staff Sultan Sosnaliev, who eventually also formally succeeded Arshba on 25 April 2003. Sosnaliev oversaw Abkhazia's successful expulsion of Georgian forces and remained Defence Minister until on 1 July 1996 he resigned to return to his native Kabardia
Grand Principality of Great Kabarda or East Circassia was a historical country in the North Caucasus corresponding partly to the modern Kabardino-Balkaria. It had better political organization than its neighbors and existed as a political commun ...
.
Sosnaliev's successor was Vladimir Mikanba
Vladimir Tach-ipa Mikanba ( ab, Владимир Тач-иҧа Мқанба, ka, ვლადიმერ მიქანბას, russian: Владимир Тачевич Миканба; 23 September 1931 – 22 February 2010) was the Minister o ...
, who held the position during the May 1998 war in the Gali district and the October 2001 incursion of Chechen fighters down the Kodori valley.
Mikanba was succeeded by Raul Khajimba
Raul Jumkovich Khajimba ( ab, Рауль Џьумка-иҧа Ҳаџьымба, ka, რაულ ჯუმკას-ძე ჰაჯიმბა; born 21 March 1958) is an Abkhazian politician, and served as President of Abkhazia from 25 September ...
, who would go on to become Prime Minister, and who is the current Vice President of Abkhazia. 22 April 2003, when Khajimba became Prime Minister, Viacheslav Eshba became Minister for Defence. On 8 November 2004, during the height of the crisis following the 2004 Presidential election, a source within the government claimed that Eshba had been replaced by Mukhamed Kilba, the deputy chief of Khajimba's presidential campaign, but this was denied by Prime Minister Nodar Khashba
Nodar Vladimirovich Khashba ( ab, Нодар Хашба, ka, ნოდარ ხაშბა; born 1951 in Tkvarcheli) is a former prime minister of Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia and a former mayor of Sukhumi.
Khashba was mayor of ...
.Sergei Bagapsh
Sergei Uasyl-ipa Bagapsh, ka, სერგეი ბაგაფში, russian: Сергей Васильевич Багапш, translit=Sergey Vasilyevich Bagapsh (4 March 1949 – 29 May 2011) was an Abkhaz politician who served as th ...
called on Sultan Sosnaliev to become Defence Minister once more. Sosnaliev agreed and held the office until shortly after his 65th birthday on 8 May 2007 he resigned for personal reasons.[
On 26 June 2007 then Deputy Defence Minister ]Mirab Kishmaria
Mirab Boris-ipa Kishmaria ( ab, Мираб Борис-иҧа Кишьмариа, ka, მერაბ ქიშმარია, russian: Мира́б Бори́сович Кишма́рия) was an Abkhaz politician and army general who served as t ...
was appointed Sosnaliev's successor. During the August 2008 war in South Ossetia, he oversaw the Abkhazian conquest of so-called Upper Abkhazia
Upper Abkhazia ( ka, ზემო აფხაზეთი, Romanization of Georgian, romanized: ''Zemo Apxazeti''; ab, Аҧсны хыхьтәи, Apsny xyxjtwj) is a term introduced in 2006, to denote the northeastern part of the disputed terri ...
, the only part of Abkhazia that had remained under Georgian control since the 1992-1993 war. Kishmaria remains Minister of Defence until the present day.
List of people to hold the office
See also
*Military of Abkhazia
The Abkhazian Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Abkhazia. The forces were officially created on 12 October 1992, after the outbreak of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. The basis of the armed forces was formed by the ethnic Abkhaz N ...
*President of Abkhazia
The position of president of Abkhazia was created in 1994. Before the office of president was created the head of state position was known as the chairman of Parliament between 1992 and the creation of the 1994 constitution. Before the position ...
*Vice President of Abkhazia
The vice president of the Abkhaz Republic, a partially recognized state, internationally regarded as a part of Georgia, is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new president of Abkhazia upon the death, resignation, or re ...
*Prime Minister of Abkhazia
The prime minister of Abkhazia is the ''de facto'' head of government of the partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia, that is ''de jure'' part of Georgia.
History
Government of President Vladislav Ardzinba
While the presidency was held by ...
*Minister for Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia
The office of Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia was created on 17 May 1993, during the 1992–1993 war with Georgia. Due to the diplomatic isolation of Abkhazia, which remains widely unrecognised, the role of the foreign m ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Politics of Abkhazia