THE SEPARATIST IDEA OF UNITING “TWO OSSETIAS” AND GEORGIAN-OSSETIAN PUBLIC OPINION IN THE 1990S

Abstract

The present article, by analyzing the documentary material, substantiates that: 1) the completion of the construction of Roki Tunnel (on November 5, 1981) and the opening of Tskhinvali-Java-Roki Road between Georgia and Russia was a factor that strengthened the offensive Ossetian separatism, in particular: a) to give the struggle for the unification of two Ossetias (South and North Ossetia) a new impetus; b) to gradually expel the Georgian population, who hampered the “Ossetian idea”, from Tskhinvali-Java-Roki Road section and subsequent settlement of the vacated areas with the Ossetian population as soon as the favorable situation was created by Ossetian separatists; 2) giving immeasurable rights to governing circles of the Autonomous District of South Ossetia by the government of Soviet Georgia, under the guise of internationalism, created an opportunity for Ossetian separatists to gradually “swallow” Georgian villages of Tskhinvali Region; 3) the documentary material evidences that Ossetian separatists activated by order of the Russian government, by distorting the historical reality, used several forms of ideological and political influence on Ossetian population: a) by using the map drawn by Alan Chochiev, the leader of “Adamon Nihas”, depicting the “settlement” of the Alans, Tskhinvali Region in the South Caucasus was intentionally declared as a historical homeland of the Alans; b) the support of a significant part of Ossetian intelligentsia from Tskhinvali Region of the idea of Chochiev’s idea of unification of “two Ossetias” aimed at creating “evidence that Georgians conquered” Ossetian territory and increased hatred of Ossetians towards them; 4) by the joint efforts of Georgian public opinion representatives and Ossetian intelligentsia (scientists, writers, cultural workers, and students) defending the truth, the following facts were fundamentally justified in printed media: a) it was possible to preserve the cultural and national identity of the Ossetian people through the coexistence of the Ossetians and Georgians within Georgian state; b) strong propaganda to annex “South Ossetia” to North Ossetia aimed at realizing the “hypothesis” of A. Sakharov to demolish Georgia as a “small empire” and contained actions against the territorial integrity of the country.