Georgia
Independent Georgia
At the same time, secessionist movements particularly in South Ossetia and Abkhazia erupted in various parts of the country. In 1992 Abkhazia reinstated its 1925 constitution and declared independence, which the international community refused to recognize. In late 1993 Georgia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose confederation of former Soviet republics; following a cease-fire reached with Abkhazia in 1994, CIS peacekeepers were deployed to the region, although violence was ongoing. Georgia later signed an association agreement with the European Union, joined the Council of Europe and the World Trade Organization, and became a partner in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.