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FACTBOX-Five Facts on Adzhara region

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  • FACTBOX-Five Facts on Adzhara region

    FACTBOX-Five Facts on Adzhara region


    LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
    proclaimed the start of his country's reunification on Thursday after
    forcing out the Adzhara region's rebel leader Aslan Abashidze in his
    second "rose revolution" in six months.

    Abashidze flew into exile on Wednesday after a night of opposition
    rallies and a massive defection of his loyalists.

    Here are basic facts about the Adzhara region in Georgia:

    Adzhara has a population of 400,000 and is located on the coastline of
    the Black Sea in the southwest of Georgia.

    The capital, Batumi, is a large oil refining centre which supplies
    Georgia and neighbouring Armenia. After Saakashvili was prevented from
    entering the region in March, Georgian troops cut rail and road
    access, forcing the 200,000 barrel-per-day oil terminal to stop
    loading oil.

    The region declares itself to be autonomous although its status has
    not been resolved since Georgia declared independence in 1991 after
    the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    Abashidze was backed by Russia which keeps a controversial Soviet-era
    military base outside Batumi, seen as leverage against
    Georgia. However, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov helped mediate
    a peaceful end to the current crisis in Adzhara, and Abashidze flew
    into exile with Ivanov on Wednesday night.

    Adzhars are ethnic Georgians but unlike most Georgians, who are
    predominantly Christian, the Adzhars are Muslims after centuries of
    Turkish occupation, which ended in the 19th century.



    05/06/04 07:25 ET
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