Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University
Senior Lecturer
International Relations, Geopolitics
Doctor of History
Batumi, Georgia
giorgibatsikadze21@gmail.com
Abstract
From 1917 to 1920, political relations between Georgia and the Mountainous Republic of the North Caucasus developed through several distinct stages. Even before either side formally declared independence, the Mountainous Republic advanced the idea of establishing a political union with the South Caucasus. The aspirations of the mountaineers toward cooperation raised hopes among the Georgian political elite for a broader Caucasian unity. Ultimately, however, both domestic and international factors prevented this potential union from being realized.
Internally, the principal obstacles were border delimitation and unresolved territorial claims. Both sides pragmatically chose to postpone these disputes in order to avoid open regional conflict. At the same time, they were unable to overcome the incompatibility of their respective international orientations. Georgia sought protection from Ottoman territorial claims, whereas the mountaineers placed their hopes in an alliance with the Ottoman Empire. At a time when the outcome of the Russian Revolution remained uncertain and the full extent of the threats facing the Caucasus was not yet clear, both sides gave greater priority to their respective international alliances than to the idea of Caucasian unity.
Following the collapse of the fragile Transcaucasian Federation and Georgia’s declaration of independence, Georgian political strategy focused on consolidating sovereignty and gaining international recognition. By contrast, the idea of a Caucasian confederation acquired even greater importance for the mountaineers. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the failure to secure international recognition, and the advance of the White Army, their hopes became increasingly tied to regional political unification.
Whereas divergent international orientations had previously constituted the main obstacle to unity, differing visions of statehood now came to the forefront. Georgia chose a democratic path based on administrative decentralization and adopted a cautious attitude toward political unification until each Caucasian nation had firmly consolidated its independence. For the mountaineers, however, the struggle to preserve sovereignty and the search for mechanisms of political consolidation developed simultaneously.
Georgia became one of the principal supporters of the Mountainous Republic. This support evolved into an important element of Georgia’s political agenda, as Tbilisi recognized that the continued existence of the Mountainous Republic was crucial for safeguarding the freedom of the Caucasus as a whole. Georgian–North Caucasian cooperation was shaped by common objectives and common threats.
Initially in opposition to the White Army and subsequently in the struggle against the Bolsheviks, both sides adopted similar positions, laying the foundation for close political and military cooperation. At this stage, the preservation of independence became the overriding priority. Nevertheless, the support provided by Georgia and Azerbaijan proved insufficient to alter the balance of power. Following the Sovietization of Azerbaijan, the mountaineers expressed their readiness to unite with Georgia on the basis of autonomy.