STATEMENT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA

The groups of separatist rebels calling themselves as the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, have adopted in Sukhumi the Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia on 26 November 1994 thereby declaring the integral part of Georgia – Abkhazia – as the subject of International law and even elected the President.

On 10 May 1994 the Parliament of Georgia, on the basis of imperative International Law, dissolved the Supreme Council of Abkhazia as a body elected within the rule of apartheid, which constantly had violated the legislation of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Georgia. The acts adopted by this body have been declared null and void and the information has been delivered to the UN and the World community.

The separatists have adopted the aforementioned decisions at the time when 70 percent of the population, as well as more than a half of former deputies of the Supreme Council of the autonomous Republic are expelled from the territory of Abkhazia, some of the deputies have been executed.

On the basis of Resolutions adopted by the Parliament of Georgia, today there is no legitimate body on the territory of Abkhazia that is authorized to consider the Constitutional matters on behalf of the population of the Autonomous Republic.

Therefore, the Decision on independence of Abkhazia, made by rebellious separatists on 26 November and adoption of the new Constitution and election of the President may not have any legal effect either within the country, or in the system of International Law. The legislation of Georgia is in force on the whole territory of Abkhazia.

The Parliament of Georgia regretfully notes that the aforementioned act of separatists is another attempt to put an end to the peace negotiations as through declaring Abkhazia as an independent state they willfully and arbitrarily changed the status of one of the sides of negotiations.

Declaring the independence after unleashing the war on the territory recognized by the World Community as a Sovereign State of Georgia, genocide of the people on the ground of ethnic affiliation, annihilation and banishment of peaceful population - is a problem not only of Georgia; this is an instigation of worldwide importance performed by those forces, which have the ambition to destroy a modern World Order, integrity of boundaries, principals of non-interference in domestic affairs and grow separatism as a global problem for the mankind.

The Parliament of Georgia believes that in case of collapse of peace negotiations and using up all possible means for conflict settlement, it will be necessary to resort the forcible actions to neutralize the usurpers of power, who are ignoring the Resolutions of the UN Security Council and trying to break up the negotiations.

The Parliament of Georgia calls on the UN, the CSCE, the Parliaments of the World Community to support Georgia, for whom the conflict in Abkhazia is its internal affair although the instigation of the conflict and its consequences have been conditioned by outside forces. Despite the effort taken by the international institutions, the negative impact of these processes is still in progress; therefore, the scope of the problem can not remain only within the affairs of Georgia as it may entail undesirable consequences in other countries.

The parliament of Georgia declares: the Government of Georgia has a full moral, political and legal right to restore its state sovereignty on the whole territory of the country through all possible means.

1 December 1994, Tbilisi

(Bulletin of the Parliament of Georgia, 1994 # # 23-26, p. 164-166)