For various and complex reasons, there are countries that are not officially present, but are not originally on the international maps, and are not recognized by the international community, but they have their governments, passports of their citizens, and even their own currencies in some cases. But that did not prevent the Brazilian author Guillermi Canever from visiting, getting to know her and getting close to her citizens, as he traveled to 16 unrecognized countries between 2009 and 2014, and recounted his experiences in his latest book, “Unrecognized Nations: Traveling to Nonexistent Countries,” which was published This month.
Although the classification of a "state" requires certain requirements, in order to be recognized under international law, logic also requires that it have a permanent population, located within a specific region and has border controls, the ability to govern itself independently, and establish relationships with countries The other. Although most of these countries meet these conditions, obtaining recognition from the United Nations depends on the support of major powers, through which these countries can obtain benefits such as easy access to economic networks. As for those that have not been recognized by the United Nations, they are not formally recognized as a country, even if they are recognized by other countries, and they can face many conflicts as a result. Canever became fascinated by these disputed states after his visit to Somaliland, an ambitious country in the Horn of Africa who has sought independence from Somalia since 1991.
The suffering of Somaliland
Kanever spoke to the media saying: “I was traveling through Africa by land in 2009, and I ended up in Somaliland.” He continued, “I was shocked when I realized that I cannot use the Somali currency there, then I realized that this country has its own institutions, laws and currency, But I didn't get recognition from any other country, and I felt like I was in a parallel world. ” Despite declaring it unilaterally independent from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland remained a non-sovereign state on international maps. This made the economic situation difficult for her, as she had suffered many problems over the years. Kanever explains: “Somaliland has been living with its own effort, and is striving to survive without allies supporting it. Unemployment rates here are very high, as are illiteracy rates. ”However, Kanifer admires the patience of the local people. He says:“ They talked to me about their struggle, and many of them depend on the money sent by their relatives working abroad, and given that they are not recognized (as a country), it is difficult Very exchanges with other countries. It is difficult to export their products, which is why some citizens migrate abroad to earn money, ”he says.“ They live in a difficult situation, but I think it is improving. ”
Prosperity despite lack of recognition
In the years following his trip to Somaliland, Caneffer began to search for other destinations in a similar situation, limiting his options to 10 independent territories with limited international recognition, and six autonomous regions that were previously independent or that they wished to be. Kosovo, located in the Balkans in Europe, was one of its stations. While Somaliland suffered from the absence of allies, Kosovo benefited from many supporters. Since it officially declared independence from Serbia in 2008 - a decision strongly opposed by Serbia, with support from Russia - it has been recognized as an independent country by more than 100 countries, and has also won recognition from the International Olympic Committee, but has eluded UN membership.
Unlike some other disputed countries, Kosovo attracts a large number of tourists, and most of the foreign visitors come from Albania, Turkey and Germany. "Kosovo is supported by many rich countries, and many tourists come here," Kanever says. In 2018, the number of international visitors to the partially recognized country increased by 19% compared to the previous year, and he adds: "We can see that it is developing, but there are a lot of small problems that still need to be resolved before they become completely independent."
Cyprus is divided
During his trip to Cyprus, which has been divided since the Turkish military invasion in 1974, Canever directly witnessed the level of pain caused by this bitter separation. While Turkey recognizes the region that includes the northeastern part of the island called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, this country, in the eyes of the rest of the world, is Cyprus occupied by Turkey. "You can see the difference as soon as you cross the border," Kanever says of his trip to northern Cyprus. "I stayed with a man who told me that his father was born in Turkey and his mother is a Turkish Cypriot." He says that this man could not cross into the southern part of the island, because he is considered Turkish He is not a Turkish Cypriot, and it was difficult for him, "it seems that it has become very difficult for the younger generation."
Do not bother with international recognition
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two disputed territories in the Caucasus, were also among the regions visited by Canever. The first, a breakaway region in Georgia with strong ties to Russia, left a particularly strong impression on him. "Abkhazia is a beautiful place with a lot of beautiful monasteries, and this is not what you would expect from an unrecognized country. Many Russians go there during the summer beaches, it has a popular tourist industry," he says about the region bordering more than 200 km from the Black Sea coast. But he says that the process of entering this self-proclaimed sovereign state is far from simple: “You must contact them first by e-mail to obtain an entry permit, after which they specify a specific day for you to enter to obtain permission”, and it goes on “once "If you enter the country, you must go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain an official visa."
He says that the people of Abkhazia are indifferent to their recognition internationally, explaining: “They are very nationalistic, very emotional when they talk about their country, and they say that as long as Russia provides them with support they do not need the recognition of Europe or the United States.”
A quiet place at the heart of the conflict
In the South Caucasus lies Nagorno-Karabakh - also known as the Republic of Artsakh. Like many other disputed countries, Nagorno-Karabakh is at the center of a long-running conflict between two countries, and at the present time there is a struggle between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "It is easy to go to Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, from Armenia," says Canever. "It is a very quiet place, decorated with beautiful squares surrounded by flowers, where people sit there and drink." But the streak of conflict is located a few kilometers from the center The town, and sometimes a firefight occurs, so there's a lot of tension in it.
The area is home to a number of beautiful churches and monasteries, such as Gandzasar Monastery, and there are also beautiful mountains and many places to visit safely. But South Ossetia, a mountainous region between Georgia and Russia that is an official part of the former, is less attractive to tourists, saying: "Not many people go there."
Efficient though not recognized
Kanever also visited Transnistria, between Moldova and Ukraine, which declared independence in 1990, a year before the fall of the Soviet Union. But despite having its own currency and clear borders, it has not yet received the recognition of the United Nations, and this country can be reached via Moldova, and he says: "In order to travel there, your money must be transferred to the Transnational Ruble," explaining that he was at first suspicious of the extent of Efficiency of procedures there, but he discovered that all of their institutions are working very efficiently, and he added: "I tried to verify the efficiency of the institutions, so I bought a postcard and sent it to my family in my home to see if it will arrive, and I have already arrived." He also says: "It is very interesting to discover that some of these countries have full control over their territories."
Independence alone does not solve problems
Although South Sudan became the latest recognized country in the world in 2011, there is little to suggest that any of these other ambitious countries will get the same concession anytime soon. While Brazilian author Guillermi Canever does not claim to be an expert on border disputes, he says that his extensive experience and research during his writing of this book showed him that establishing new borders and states was not necessarily the best way to solve problems of conflict over regions. He believes that most of these countries started as ethnic minorities and face problems and want to be independent, but once these minorities gain their independence, they become the majority, and minorities emerge on their lands that need protection, for all of this, drawing new lines and borders will not help if there is no democracy Complete in such areas.
Real friendliness and curiosity
During his travels around the world, Brazilian author Guillerme Canever stayed with families in the areas he visited, and he took advantage of the "rubber service" service, which is a new term that means moving from one house to another, sleeping anywhere, whether it is on the floor or on the sofa, and then moving To a home or other place. He did this in order to communicate with the locals and gain a deeper understanding of what they saw from their point of view. He says: «One of the things that I liked most about traveling to these unrecognized countries is that interaction with the local population is very special, as they do not seem to provide a service to the tourist, but rather the tourist becomes part of their community, opens his homes to him and allows him to participate in activities Their own". He says: «If the place you went to does not come to a lot of tourists, they sometimes feel curious and want to know how the rest of the world sees them»
Although the classification of a "state" requires certain requirements in order to be recognized under international law, logic also requires that it have a permanent population, located within a specific region and has border controls, the ability to govern itself independently, and establish relationships with countries The other