STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

On 11 December 1990 the first session of the Supreme Council of Georgia adopted the law “On Abolishing the Autonomous Oblast of South Ossetia”. Despite the allegation of the newly elected Supreme Council on non-abolishing the autonomous entities, the Supreme Council of Georgia had to make this step due to the following circumstances:

The national-state entity of South Ossetia was created in Georgia in 1921, after the forcible Sovietization of the democratic republic of Georgia by the Bolshevik Russia. The Autonomous Oblast was created under the pretext of “history of revolutionary struggle of Ossetian workers”, which meant the armed revolts against the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918 and 1920, when the Soviet power was declared in separate villages and the territories joined to the Soviet Russia. In that territory the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was established through the total negligence of the interests of Georgian population and even against the will of Georgian Bolsheviks. Tskhinvali was artificially chosen as a center of the Oblast. Only a few Ossetian families lived there in that time.

In the recent period the confrontation with Ossetian separatists has drastically intensified, posing the threat to the territorial integrity and stability of Georgia. Such development could entail the irreversible consequences. On 20 September 1920 the Oblast Council of the People’s Deputies of South Ossetia adopted the declaration “On the sovereignty of South Ossetia”, which declared South Ossetia as “… the subject of the Union Treaty and the International law”, which “…exercises independently the foreign relations with other subjects of the Federation and with other states”.

On 21 September 1991 the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR abrogated this declaration; however, this Resolution was neglected and the executive committee of the "Democratic Republic of South Ossetia” was created, setting up the elections of the Supreme Council of the "Democratic Republic of South Ossetia”. And all of these developments took place when the historical homeland of the Ossetian nation existed in a form of the Autonomous Republic within the RSFSR.

On 22 November 1990 the newly elected Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia abrogated this Decision and issued the notice to the leadership of South Ossetian Autonomous oblast regarding the possible liability for this anti-constitutional act.

Despite of this, on 9 December 1990 those anti-constitutional elections were held.

No reaction to this fact meant de facto recognition of the “Democratic Soviet Republic of Ossetia” and putting up with the violation of territorial integrity of Georgia.

The leaders of South Ossetia neglected many official warnings; they refused to start the dialogue and continued separatist action. Therefore, Georgian side failed to solve the problem through the agreement.

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia, being guided by the Constitution of the Republic of Georgia and the Union Constitution, adopted the law “On Abolishing the Autonomous Oblast of South Ossetia”.

The Law of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was adopted in compliance with the universally recognized principles of the international law. Ossetians, living on the territory of Georgia, represent ethnic minority, which, at the same time, has the nation-state entity on their historical land – the Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic of North Ossetia.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 27), Helsinki Final Act of 1975, Final documents of Madrid and Vienna Conferences and “Paris Charter for New Europe” of 1990 do not recognize existence of any nation-state entity for the ethnic minorities.

As for the requirements of the international law regarding the cultural, religious and language rights of the national minorities, these rights have never been violated in Georgia, including South Ossetia. From 145 schools on the territory of South Ossetia 90 used Ossetian as a language of instruction. There are Ossetian Theater and institutions of higher education, also periodical publications in Ossetian language. In Vladikavkaz, which is the historical homeland of Ossetians, the Ossetian population fails to enjoy such comprehensive cultural autonomy. Protection of the minority rights of Ossetians in Georgia does not depend on the existence of nation-state autonomy, as in the rest of Georgia there are twice more Ossetians, than within the administrative border of former South Ossetian autonomous oblast, and they have never complained regarding their rights.

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia repeatedly announced that it would protect the rights of every citizen representing ethnic minorities in accordance to the universally recognized principles of the international law.

On the next day of adoption of the decision by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia, on 12 December, three officers of the law-enforcement body were killed by machine-gun in the center of Tskhinvali, 3 got heavy wound.

State of emergency and curfew have been announced in Tskhinvali since 22.00 of December 12, which is maintained by the units of internal troops of the USSR. However, we fail to take the wounded officers from Tskhinvali hospital and take them to Gori hospital, as the former is blocked by the Ossetian population.

(Newspaper “Abkahzetis Khma”/Voice of Abkhazia/, # 239, 15 December 1990)