While many consider Abkhazia an unrecognised state, in actuality it is partially recognised due to many United Nations and non-United Nations states recognising Abkhazian Independence.

Who though are these states, why do they recognise Abkhazia and what does it all mean?

To read if Abkhazia is a country click here.

Unrecognised to partially recognised countries

The term “unrecognised country” is one that we talk about a lot, but it’s one that has many nuances. This is because there is almost no fully unrecognised country in the world.

In this respects the only country that is fully unrecognised is Somaliland, while on the other end of the spectrum Taiwan is recognised by a number of UN states. This number though is regularly dropping.

Which UN states recognise Abkhazia and why?

There are currently 5 UN nations that recognise Abkhazia, most of whom fall within the Russian sphere of influence.

Russia was the first to recognise Abkhazia in 2008 following the war in Georgia and what was deemed the Kosovo precedent. This was followed by Nicaragua and Venezuela – both Russian allies.

Nauru, which recently switched to recognising the People’s Republic of China over Taiwan, allegedly gave recognition following a loan from Russia to the island republic, although this is but a rumour. It is though another fascinating part of the whole Nauru story.

YPT are currently involved in setting up Nauru’s first ever football team.

Syria also recognise the independence of Abkhazia, but less so the autonomy of Rojava.

Tuvalu, a YPT favourite, as well as Vanuatu formerly recognised Abkhazian independence.

Partially recognised states recognising Abkhazian independence

In the partially recognised sphere of countries most all recognise Abkhazian independence. Chief among these is of course South Ossetia, but also includes Transnistria where I lived and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Former states with limited recognition that recognised Abkhazian independence included Donetsk, Luhansk, and the dearly departed Nagorno-Karabakh.

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