Vladislav Grigorievich Ardzinba

His life: Mr. Ardzinba was born on May '14' 1945 in the village of lower Eshera, Abkhazian ASSR. He was the first President of the republic of Abkhazia-a historian, philologist, and specialist on the mythology, culture and history of the ancient peoples of Asia Minor, the Hatti and Hittites in Parti-Minor, the Hatti and Hittites in Particular; an investigator of the Abkhazian and circassian Nart Legends, their languages and epic traditions, Doctor of History (1986), Professor of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia (1997), and International Circassian Academy of Sciences, Laureate of the International Kondurov Prize (1995), Hero of Abkhazia, and Holder of the Order "Akhdz-Apsha" (first class) in 2002.

V. Ardzinba defended his candidate’s Dissertation in 1971 and Doctoral Thesis in 1986. He worked as a scientific Associate and as a head of the section for the Philosophy and culture of the Ancient East at the Oriental institute of scinces of USSR. From 1988 to 1996, he served as a Director of the D. Gulia institute of Language, Literature and History.

He authored more than 40 scholarly works including monographs, articles and reviews. In 1988 V. Ardzinba was elected a Deputy to Abkhazia’s Supreme Soviet (becoming a Chairman in 1989), apeople’s Deputy, and also a Deputy to the USSR supreme soviet. In the same year, he was elected a Head of the Sub-Commission on the State-Legal Status of Autonomous Units and became a Deputy of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In 1990, V.Ardzinba was elected a Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia. From the very beginning of Georgia’s war against Abkhazia, he worked as a Chairman of the State Defense and headed the national Liberation struggle of the Abkhazian people. On November,26,1994 V.Ardzinba was elected a President of Abkhazia, and on October,3,1999 he was elected ti serve a second presidential term.

After a long struggle for his country, Mr. Vladislav Ardzinba died in 2010 but his work and sacrifices remained present in the hearts of Abkhaz people and in the memory of history forever.