Gagauz Republic

The Gagauz Republic (Gagauz: Gagauz Respublikası, [ɡɑɡɑˈus rɪsˈpublʲɪkəsə]; Romanian: Republica Găgăuzia, [reˈpublika ɡəɡəˈuzia]; Russian: Республика Гагаузия, romanized: Respublika Gagauziya, [rɪsˈpublʲɪkə ɡɐɡəˈuzɪjə]) was a self-proclaimed unrecognised political entity, first declared in 1989, that separated from Moldova in 1990 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union but later peacefully joined Moldova after being de facto independent from 1991 to 1995.^[2][3]

Gagauz Republic Gagauz Respublikası (Gagauz)
1989[a]–1995[b]
Flag Coat of arms
Map of the territory claimed by the Gagauz Republic. Its control over this area was relative.
Status	Self-proclaimed state
Capital	Comrat 46°19′N 28°40′E
Common languages	Gagauz, Romanian, Russian
Government	Republic
Establishment
History
• The Gagauz ASSR is unilaterally proclaimed	12 November 1989
• Gagauz ASSR unilaterally raised into the Gagauz SSR separate from the Moldavian SSR	19 August 1990
• Dissolution of the Soviet Union; de facto independence of the Gagauz Republic	26 December 1991
• Entry into force of a law reintegrating Gagauzia as an autonomous territorial unit into Moldova	14 January 1995
• Established	12 November 1989[c]
• Disestablished	14 January 1995[d]
Currency	Soviet ruble, Moldovan cupon, Moldovan leu
Preceded by Succeeded by Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic Moldova (Gagauzia)
Today part of	Moldova

History

The Special Congress of Representatives of the Gagauz people was held on 12 November 1989, in which the Gagauz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in the Moldavian SSR, but on the next day the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Moldavia abolished the Special Congress' decisions, calling them unconstitutional.^[4]

The Congress of People's Deputies of the Steppe South of the Moldavian SSR declared itself separate from the Moldavian SSR and the establishment of the Gagauz Republic within the Soviet Union on 19 August 1990.^[5] Two days later, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Moldavian SSR held an emergency meeting, and a decision was reached to declare the republic illegal and the congress unconstitutional.^[6] A detachment of Moldovan volunteers and police units were sent to Gagauzia to quell the dissidence, but the arrival of SSV soldiers prevented bloodshed.

Initially, the republic was made up of five districts: Comrat, Ceadîr-Lunga, Vulcănești, Basarabeasca, and Taraclia.^[4]

The Gagauz Republic never declared itself formally independent, and only became a de facto independent state following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.^[2]

On 23 December 1994, on the basis of agreements reached by the Gagauz Republic and the Republic of Moldova, a document on the peaceful reintegration of Gagauzia, with rights of autonomy, was signed. It entered into force on 14 January 1995. The reintegration of Gagauzia was carried out from December 1994 to June 1995, when the Gagauz Republic legally dissolved and became the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.

Armed forces

As the Gagauzia conflict was developing and tensions between the Gagauz and the central government in Chișinău remained high, the Gagauz localities started establishing paramilitary structures such as the Budjak Battalion (Gagauz: Bucak Batalyonu; Romanian: Batalionul Bugeac) for their self-defense.^[7]

See also

• Moldova portal

• Gagauzia
• Gagauz people
• Gagauzia conflict
• List of Chairmen of the Gagauzian People's Assembly
• Comrat Republic
• Transnistria

Notes

1. The political entity that would come to be known as the Gagauz Republic was first proclaimed as the Gagauz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 12 November 1989.
2. The law that provided Gagauzia with an autonomous status within Moldova was passed by the Parliament of Moldova on 23 December 1994, but it officially entered into force on 14 January 1995.^[1]
3. The political entity that would come to be known as the Gagauz Republic was first proclaimed as the Gagauz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 12 November 1989.
4. The law that provided Gagauzia with an autonomous status within Moldova was passed by the Parliament of Moldova on 23 December 1994, but it officially entered into force on 14 January 1995.^[1]

References

1. Neukirch, Claus (2002). "Autonomy And Conflict Transformation: The Case Of The Gagauz Territorial Autonomy In The Republic Of Moldova" (PDF). In Gál, Kinga (ed.). Minority Governance in Europe. Series on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues. Vol. 1. pp. 105–123. S2CID 31174219. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-20.
2. Marcin Kosienkowski (2017) The Gagauz Republic: An Autonomism-Driven De Facto State The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, volume 44, no. 3, pp. 292–313.
3. Erendor, Metin (2021). Gagauz Türkleri: "Gök - Oğuzlar". Bilge Kültür Sanat.
4. Фёдор Ангели (20 August 1990). "ГАГАУЗСКАЯ АВТОНОМИЯ. ЛЮДИ И ФАКТЫ (1989-2005)" (PDF) (in Russian). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2023.
5. "ГАГАУЗИЯ, ОБЩИЕ СВЕДЕНИЯ – Справка – БД "Лабиринт"". www.labyrinth.ru. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
6. "ГАГАУЗЫ ОБЪЯВИЛИ О СОЗДАНИИ СВОЕЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ И ВЫХОДЕ ИЗ МОЛДОВЫ". 20 August 1990. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
7. "Premisele și metodele războiului hibrid din Republica Moldova (1990-1992)". 2 March 2018.