The engagement policies of the European Union, Georgia and Russia towards Abkhazia

Three major actors in the context of the conflict in Abkhazia have opted for different policies towards the de facto entity. This article argues that although Georgia and the EU have so far adhered to engagement without recognition policies towards Abkhazia (and South Ossetia), governance practices nurturing nation- and state-building in these entities, coupled with the Russian policy of recognition, constitute challenges to conflict resolution. Over 20 years since the wars in Georgia, present-day Abkhazia, despite limited community capacity, is asserting itself with nascent trends of state-building. To mitigate its isolation, the EU and Georgia need to develop a substantially different policy of engagement vis-à-vis Abkhazia embedding incentives towards a political solution of the conflict. This article draws heavily on interviews, documentaries and observational evidence, building on limited primary and secondary sources.