TO THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE NORTH OSSETIAN AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC

We express our firm protest against the decision of the Supreme Council of the North Ossetian Autonomous Republic on supporting the appeal of the self-declared executive committee of South Ossetia regarding inclusion of the territory of South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the North Ossetian Autonomous Republic.

Neither the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of North Ossetia, nor the Constitution of the RSFSR may authorize the autonomous republic to change the borders.  Such act runs counter to article 70 of the Constitution of the RSFSR, according to which North Ossetia is included within the territory of the Russian Federation and the border of a former may not be changed without consent of the RSFSR.

Consideration of this issue by the Supreme Council of North Ossetian Autonomous Republic is an attempt to violate the territorial integrity of Georgia.  Such act is aimed at separating from Georgia its integral part.  This very act runs counter to article 1, 71, 73 and 101 of the Constitution of the Republic of Georgia.  According to the aforementioned articles Georgia shall be an independent, unified and indivisible state and its frontiers may not be changed without consent of the Republic of Georgia.  The issues relating to the administrative-territorial settlement and the borders shall be decided by the Republic of Georgia. 

It is more important that consideration of the said issue takes place when the leaders of the North Ossetian Autonomous Republic form and send to Georgia the armed gangs for supporting the separatists.  They also supply them with arms and combat equipment.

Such conduct of the leaders of the North Ossetian Autonomous Republic is a gross violation of international law and we consider it as an aggression against independent and sovereign state, with all legal and political consequences thereof.

The President of the Republic of Georgia Z. Gamsakhurdia

Tbilisi, 1 November 1991

(Newspaper “Abkhazetis Khma” /Voice of Abkhazia/,# 180, 12 November 1991)