TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA Z. K. GAMSAKHURDIA

Honorable Zviad Konstantinovich,

I entirely share the part of Your appeal to the Abkhaz people where you speak about centuries' old good-neighborly relations between the Abkhaz and Georgia peoples, about close ties between their cultures and similarities of their national traditions. I strongly believe that our people will be solving difficult problems of their national development in a future, hand in hand. As a Chairman of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia I do and I will do my best to have Abkhazia and Georgia living in peace and chime, based on solid treaty-relations of the two republics, equal in rights. The peace and chime may be achieved through respecting the interests of each people. They are necessary today not only for Georgians and Abkhazs, but also for Russians, Armenians, Greeks and other nations living in the autonomous republic. We consider them as a full-fledge citizens of Abkhazia and we support the free development of all national cultures.

At the same time we would fail to be realistic if we give no proper weigh to the situation that has been established in our republics.

The Parliament of Georgia has declared that it aims at creating the independent state outside of the USSR. At the same time the Supreme Council has not raised the issue on immediate withdrawal from the Soviet Federation; it declared “transitional period”. It means that Georgia and Abkhazia still exist within the USSR. However, despite of this fact, in your recent statements you have declared that the laws of the USSR are null and void on the Territory of Georgia. But we consider Abkhazia as the part of the USSR, under its jurisdiction.

It is known that the Supreme Council of the USSR adopted certain fundamental laws, which considerably extended the authorities of the autonomous republics. Moreover, according to the draft Union Treaty, which has been published recently, all the republics – both, Union and Autonomous, will enjoy the same rights in the new federation. However, the Parliament of Georgia has adopted the legal acts, which violate even the current Constitutional rights of Abkhazia. Therefore, Your assurances on honoring the national and cultural rights of the Abkhaz People and of our statehood still remain futile words.

The recent laws of the Republic of Georgia show unconcealed aspiration for equalizing Abkhazia, which is the state today, with the common administrative-territorial entity. The law “On Local Governance in Transitional Period” represents one of such examples. According to the Constitution of the Abkhaz ASSR reformation of political system comes under the exclusive competence of the autonomous republic, which shall be represented by its supreme bodies. Extension of the effect of the said law over Gali district and its realization in a form of assigning the Prefect of Gali district is a demonstration of annulment of the Soviet power, which is the base to the political system according of our Constitution. The issue of structural bodies of the state power in Abkhazia may be decided only by its people, and nobody else.

And, if we declare about our aspiration for building democratic society based on the rule of law, we should first introduce the relevant changes to the Constitution of Abkhazia and then develope in the cities and districts the new forms of self-government.

The Constitutional power in Abkhazia is exercised through the councils of people’s deputies. And no other bodies, except the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR are authorized to abolish them. Even from the position of mere respect towards the Constitution of Abkhazia, the assignment of the Prefect on its territory should have been preceded with adoption of the law of the autonomous republic introducing the new form of the local government.

It is also worth to mention that the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia also violated the provision of its own law, namely, the requirement on having the prior consent on the prefect’s candidature from the Council of Ministers of the Abkhaz ASSR and his/her nomination by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the autonomous republic. So called new “elucidation” you speak about in your Appeal, by no means is resulted from the law “On Local Governance in Transitional Period”. In fact it is the amendment of the law and attempt to legitimize retrospectively your illegal actions. Apparently, we may anticipate another “elucidation” , which will exclude any kind of agreement on the issue of prefect’s assignment with the supreme state and governing authorities of Abkhazia.

Assignment of the prefect of Gali district may not be assessed otherwise than the breach of mere norms of legal ethics by the state authorities of the Republic of Georgia. Withdrawal one of the districts of the autonomous republic from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR is the first step towards the abolition of the Constitutional structures, and then – of the statehood of Abkhazia. Not necessarily to be a big politician to understand where the real threat to the state-building of Abkhazia comes from, either who assumed the role of “salvation committee”. That’s why your accusations towards the bloc “Soyuz” look odd and groundless. The latter unites on a voluntary basis Abkhazs, Armenians, Russians, Greeks and many others in their striving to maintain our state, to turn it from almost unitary state into the federal state of the republics. Only time may show the fairness of your or their political aspirations and the viability of the Soviet political system. Building of the democratic state, based on the rule of law - for which you stand up so vigorously - requires, as a minimum, the equal rights and opportunities for operating the different parties. The voice of each person and citizen, his political view should be respected and honored. The communists, together with other parties, make the part of political system not only here, but also in many other countries of the world. Don’t you think that the permanent hunting for agents and enemies of the nation may restore the sad time of persecuting dissenters? Such development, as a rule, ends up with the open dictatorship. In Abkhazia we are not looking for the enemies. Arrests and political anathema may not serve as a basis for a dialogue with opponents, if one really wants to have his nation flourished.

Within the environment of strictly dictated political decisions and actions unleashing the inter-ethnic confrontation in Abkhazia, we constantly take, and still will, all necessary steps to protect the interests of our multinational population.

We are not amazed at the tone of your appeals any longer, and I doubt whether anybody can scare the people today with the threatening statements. Participation of the citizens of Abkhazia in deciding the issue of the USSR’s future is their indivisible right guaranteed by the Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is easy to observe the direct link between Your assessment of the referendum and the aggressive campaign for its boycotting. The intimidation through reprisals, dismissals or burning the houses may kindle again the inter-ethnic conflict, which has been extinguished owing to the hard work, and not the Abkhaz people’s participation in the referendum. The attempts to exert influence upon the people and non-acceptance of different views may not convince us that the genuine autonomy of Abkhazia would be achieved within the independent Georgia. Our people are striving not for self-governance - as You assume – in a form of administrative-territorial entity within Georgia. We have an aspiration to maintain the Union of sovereign states, where Abkhazia will be one of the sovereign states, enjoying equal rights.

It happened that we became the heads of the republics, and our relations determine the destiny of our nations in many respects. And I think that we have to establish our relations in the spirit of tolerance and balanced approach in both, words and actions.

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz SSR V. G. Ardzinba

(Newspaper “Sovetskaia Abkhazia”, № 44-45, 15 March 1991)