DECISION OF THE MEETING OF THE ABKHAZ PEOPLE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE VILLAGE OF LYKHNY

Pursuant to the resolution of the XVII Congress of the CPSU, XIX Party Conference, requirements of the Central Committee of the CPSS, and also of the recommendations of the Central Committee of the party on organizing wide discussion of proposal regarding incoming Plenum of the CC CPSU on interethnic relations, more than 30 000 people have gathered in the historical village of Lykhny of the Abkhaz ASSR.   The meeting adopted the Appeal to the Secretary General of the CC CPSS M.S. Gorbachev, to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N.I. Rizhkov and to the heads of several scientific centers.

The meeting has noted that in March of 1921 that Abkhazia declared itself as independent socialist republic, informing Lenin and Stalin about this decision.  However, as a result of Stalin’s influence, the higher status of the Abkhaz SSR gradually was brought down to the lower one (Abkhaz SSR – in 1921, Treaty SSR of Abkhazia – 1922, Abkhaz ASSR - 1931), while the modification of the state development of other nations went to the ascending line.  At the same time the Constitutional rights of the autonomous republic have been subjected to the permanent and purposeful erosion.

At the current stage in some political, economic, legal, cultural and other aspects of relations with the Georgian SSR the Abkhaz ASSR in fact enjoys the rights of a city or district administration level. 

The experience of existence of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic within Georgia demonstrates impossibility of their equal coexistence, if the Lenin’s principle of the soviet federation of the union republics, enjoying the real sovereignty, is not restored in every sphere of the state’s life.

Given the aforementioned facts, and also the requirements of the participants of the meeting expressed in the course of consideration of the present Appeal, the meeting decrees:

1. To endorse the text of the appeal to the Secretary General of the CC CPSS M.S. Gorbachev, to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N.I. Rizhkov and to the heads of several scientific centers.

2.  To ask to the CC CPSU, to the Supreme Council of the USSR, to the Council of Ministers of the USSR to restore the status of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia as it was in 1921, at the V.I. Lenin’s ruling.

3.  To reconsider the multilayer system of state entities that undermines the Lenin’s principle of the equality of the nations of the USSR.

Adopted at the meeting of the representatives of the Abkhaz people.

Lykhny, 18 March 1989

(Conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Documents 1989-2006 (Supplement to “Kavkazskie Sborniki”, edition #1). Collected and commented by M. A. Volkhonski, B. A. Zakharov, N. Y. SIlaev. – Moscow, 2008, p. 94/in Russian)