Gagauzia is a small Turkic community in southern Moldova who has adopted Orthodox Christianity. There are currently over 250,000 Gagauz settled on various territories of the former Soviet Union with nearly 153,000 living on the Budjak Steppes in southern Moldova. Gagauz people have settlements in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Zaparozhye, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kabardino-Balkarian, and Romania. There are also nearly 20,000 Gagauz living in the Balkan countries of Greece and Bulgaria.

Ancestors of the Gagauz can be traced to the early nomadic tribes, Guzi and Uzi. Byzantine written history records that in the XI century the nomadic tribe Guzi crossed the Danube River and settled in the Balkan regions of Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria. Once settled in these new regions, the Guzi people shifted to a sedentary lifestyle and adopted Orthodox Christianity. The ethnic mixes of the Guzi with other Turkic tribes of the Pechenegi, Polovtsi and Kumani are direct descendants of modern day Gagauzians.

A majority of specialists including, historians, ethnographers and philologists consider the Gagauz one of the original peoples of the Turkic world. In the XIII century the first state of the Gagauz people, known as the "Dobrydzha Principality" or "Uzi Ayalet" in Gagauz, was established in Korbuna on the territory of what is now modern day Romania. This principality flourished for more than two centuries until it fell under the control of Ottoman conquerors in the XV century.

After living many oppressive years under Ottoman rule, the Gagauz migrated to Russia via the Danube between 1750 and 1846. They then settled in southern Bessarabia regions. Turkic-speaking tribes of the Nogai Horde inhabited the Budjak Region of southern Bessarabia from the XVI to XVIII centuries. Before 1807, a portion of these tribes were forced to abandon Budjak by the czarist government of Russia and resettled in Crimea, Asov and Stavropol. The Gagauz and Bulgarian migrants then appeared in the settlements vacated by the Nogai tribes. Russia gave these immigrants from the Danube incentives to relocate here by allocating land and helping them settle this new territory. They also taught these new settlers to speak and write Russian. At the same time, inhabitants of northern Bessarabia were also settling this area, as well as peasants fleeing Russian serfdom, German colonizers from the Duchy of Warsaw and others. The Gagauz settled Avdarma, Comrat, Congaz, Tomai, Cismichioi and other former Nogai villages located in the central Budjak Region. These immigrants transformed the barren Budjak steppes into a fertile agricultural region.

With the exception of a 5-day independence in the winter of 1906, when a peasant uprising declared the autonomous Republic of Comrat, the Gagauzian people have been ruled by the Russian Empire, Romania, Germany and the Soviet Union.

Gagauz nationalism remained an intellectual movement during the 1980's but strengthened by the end of the decade as the Soviet Union began to embrace democratic ideals. In 1988, activists from the local intelligentsia aligned with other ethnic minorities to create the movement known as the "Gagauz People". A year later the "Gagauz People" held its first assembly which accepted the resolution to create an autonomous territory in southern Moldova with Comrat designated as capital. In August of 1990, Comrat declared itself an autonomous republic, but the Moldovan government annulled the declaration as unconstitutional. The Gagauz national movement intensified when Romanian was accepted as the official language of the Republic of Moldova. The multiethnic populations of southern Moldova regarded this decision with concern, precipitating a lack of confidence in the central government located in Chisinau. These people encouraged Gagauzia to become independent.

Only on December 23, 1994 did the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova accept the "Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia" (Gagauz Yeri), resolving the dispute peacefully. This date is now a Gagauzian holiday. Many European human-rights organizations recognize Gagauzia as a successful model for resolving ethnic conflict for other countries to follow.

30 settlements, including 3 towns and 27 villages, expressed their desire to be included in the Autonomous Gagauz Territory as a result of a referendum to determine Gagauzia's borders. In 1995, Mr. George Tabunshik was elected to serve as the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia for a four year term as were the deputies of the local parliament, "The People's Assembly" and its chairman Mr. Peter Pashali.

Gagauzia is governed in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, the "Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia", republican and local laws, as well as other normative acts issued by the Gagauzian Parliament.

The Moldovan Parliament accepted the law "On the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia", giving Gagauzia the right to independently determine issues relating to its political, economic and cultural development. In the event that the Republic of Moldova's status as an independent country changes, the people of Gagauzia have the right to self-determination.

Gagauzia has adopted its own symbols that include a coat of arms, flag and hymn which are used along with the national symbols of the Republic of Moldova.

The representative authority of Gagauzia is the Gagauz Parliament, The People's Assembly, which has the right to create and ratify local legislation. Each settlement in Gagauzia is represented by at least one deputy.

The supreme official of Gagauzia who heads the executive power structure is its Governor (Bashkan). He has power over all public administrative bodies of Gagauzia, and is elected for a four-year term. The Governor of Gagauzia is a member of the government of the Republic of Moldova issued by decree from the president of the Republic of Moldova.

The Executive Committee is the permanent executive body of Gagauzia. The Executive Committee members are appointed by the Parliament for a four-year term as proposed by the Governor of Gagauzia. The Executive Committee has the right to initiate proposed legislation to the Parliament.

The leaders of each Gagauzian sectoral administration are members of their corresponding Board of Ministers in the government of Moldova.

Near the end of the XVIII century during the Ottoman domination, the village of Comrat appeared along the Yalpug River in the Budjak Region of southern Moldova. According to a legend, the name Comrat derives from two Turkish words, "komur - at", meaning "black horse". At this time, a large horse trading market was active in Comrat and the village became well-known as a racing ground. According to the legend, a black horse belonging to a local wealthy Turk won a prestigious race. In memory of the victory, the winner's owner named the newly found village "komur-at". Subsequently, the name evolved into its present form, Comrat. This is one version shared by the Gagauz enlightener, Mikhail Chakir. On the other hand, other historians claim that the name "Comrat" can be traced back to Gagauz nomadic history.

Comrat is located at the crossroads of the Chisinau-Cahul-Bucharest and Beltsi-Ceadir-Lunga-Odessa highways. The Yalpug River divides the town into two equal parts with a majority of the population living on the slopes of three large hills.

In 1991, Comrat established the first university in Southern Moldova. Comrat State University provides the Gagauz with a forum to develop their unique language, culture and history.

Comrat also serves as Gagauzia's cultural center. Its history is represented in unique exhibits at the Museum of History and Ethnography. Local residents are proud of their Christian Orthodox Church, St. Johns, built in the early XIX century.

The first stage of transition to a market economy is concluded. It has resulted in a stable macro-economic framework including privatization, price liberalization, free trade and financial sector reforms. Gagauzia is currently restructuring industry and the economy has stabilized with growth beginning in several sectors.

The first privatization program began in 1993. Currently, over 90% of all enterprises are private. Moldova's progressive reforms have set it apart from other CIS countries.

Fertile soil and a temperate climate make this region ideal for agriculture, which contributes 70% to the Gross National Product. In Gagauzia, the sectors having the greatest potential and investment need are:

Private ownership of land has enabled the development of private farming. In Gagauzia, there is a great demand for modern agricultural machinery and specialized equipment particularly for small farmers.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the Gagauzian economy. Farming and agricultural processing provide employment for more than half of the population.

Gagauzia has identified priority development in several sectors. Viticulture is a leading sector with over 21,000 hectares of vineyards. The primary sorts of grapes grown are Cabernet, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot, Pinot-Franc, Sauvignon and Traminer. Other sectors include, horticulture, with seed bearing fruit predominantly grown, tobacco growing and grain cultivation. Seed growing is an important sub-sector with sunflower and corn seeds cultivated to meet domestic need. In the south, animal husbandry includes sheep breeding, as well as poultry, cattle and pig farming.

Presently, Gagauzia has 28 large industrial enterprises, the majority of which are involved in processing agricultural production. There are 12 large wineries with the capacity to process 400,000 tons of grapes per season, 3 large grain complexes, 3 feed mills, a tobacco plant with the capacity to process 10,000 tons of fermented tobacco per year, 2 dairies, and a meat-packing plant and dairy located in Ceadir-Lunga. In addition, there are two carpet mills in Gagauzia, which have the capacity to produce 200,000 square meters of carpets per year, three garment factories, and a reinforced concrete construction materials plant. In Ceadir-Lunga there are two major plants: an experimental plant and an electrical and heating equipment plant.

Viticulture is one of the leading industries in Moldova, contributing to nearly half of the gross national product. Moldova has a rich history of wine making which predates the French by 4,000 years. Wine making in Moldova is concentrated in the southern regions which provide fertile soil, temperate climate and low labor costs which have already attracted many western vintners. Moldovan labels are beginning to be known in Europe and the United States and are of higher quality than wines in the same price range from neighboring countries.

Gagauzia has 12 wineries encompassing 3 regions of the territory. The Comrat, Chirsova, Cazaiac, Congaz and Vulcanesti wineries along with Ceadir-Lunga's "Jemciujina" winery produces 4,8 million deciliters of wine, sparkling wine and spirits per year.

Recently, Gagauzia has been successful in creating its own unique private labels. This wine represents perhaps some of the best in Moldova. Each wine has its unique flavor, bouquet and aroma. In Gagauzia, the following labels are produced and marketed domestically and abroad: "Cabernet", which has won 8 gold medals in international exhibitions, "Black Monk", a semidry wine that recently won a bronze medal, "Comrat Red", "Comrat Lulu", "Kagor", "Aligote", "Chardonnay", "Ceadir-Lunga", "Vulcanesti", "Kazayak", "Vodolei", and others. Modern Italian wine processing equipment and high quality bottles and labels enable Gagauzian wineries to offer a competitive product. Gagauzian wine is currently being exported to Europe, Russia, Belarussia, Ukraine, the United States and other countries.

As an economy oriented to exporting and importing raw materials, the transport system plays a key role in economic activity. The territory of Gagauzia utilizes a developed network of inter-republican, republican and local highways. Railways account for 95 percent of the total volume of goods exported from Moldova. A favorable geographic situation provides nearby seaports in the Ukrainian cities of Odessa, Ilechevsk and Reni, as well as the Romanian port of Galats. Chisinau has an international airport and Gagauzia is in the process of establishing a regional airport in Budjak. An upgrading of public transportation networks is planned for the near future.

The Republic of Moldova has direct communications with all CIS countries, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. Connection with other countries is provided via satellite. In the near future, it will be necessary to provide for a unified system of electronic communication needs with an expansion of the telephone network. We invite foreign companies to invest in the upgrading and modernization of communications in Gagauzia.

The Gagauzia Autonomous Territory has devoted considerable attention to reviving the language and national culture. The Gagauz Parliament passed the law proclaiming the official languages of Gagauzian, Moldavian and Russian. Moreover, the development of the Bulgarian and Ukrainian languages is also encouraged.

Comrat State University was established in 1991, and today more than 1,500 students are enrolled. The university provides a program of study in four major faculties, National Culture, Agronomy, Economics and Law. These programs prepare students for professional careers in teaching the Gagauzian, Moldavian, Bulgarian and English languages. It also prepares cultural anthropologists, lawyers, agronomists, zoologists, viticulturists as well as experts in industrial processing, management, accounting and finance.

Comrat also has a pedagogical and an agriculture college. There are 2 lyceums, 52 public schools, 60 libraries, 4 museums, 3 music and 3 art schools. The Gagauz National Theater "Mikhail Chakir" is currently being established.

Mass media is continuing to develop and includes the regional newspaper "Gagauz Vesti" (Gagauz Herald) and illustrative journals such as "Sabaa Ildyzy" (Morning Star) and "Guneshhik" (The Sun). There are also regional Gagauz television and radio stations.

Gagauzia is known for its talented artists, indeed there are 165 active amateur artistic groups throughout the territory. Twenty-one of these groups focus on Gagauzian folklore. Famous throughout Gagauzia and beyond are the Gagauz State Song and Dance Ensemble, "Kadinja", the artistic dance troops, "Dyuz-Ava", "Lalye", "Budjak", "Oinash", "Serin-su", "Cheshmya" and others. Folklore festivals such as "Gagauz Sesi" and "Altun At" have become traditional yearly events.

Gagauzia has many outstanding people that have contributed to its development. Mikhail Chakir is perhaps the most famous Gagauzian. He was a priest and scholar who contributed to the development of Gagauzia's history and written language. Other important Gagauzians were Dimitri Karachoban, a national poet and author, Andrei Buyukly, a World War II hero and staunch supporter of Gagauzian rights. Other people that have acquired recognition in Gagauzia and abroad are scholars M. Guboglo, V. Uzun, G. Gaidarzhi, Stepan Kuroglo and Maria Marunevich. Authors and poets: Dianis Tanasoglo, Nicolai Baboglo, Stepan Bulgar, and Peter Chebotar. Composers: M. Kolsa, D. Gagauz and artists: Dimitri Savostin, Peter Vlakh, Peter Fazly and others.

İLGİLİ SİTELER: