DECREE ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA on Withdrawal of Russian Military Units from the Conflict Zone in Abkhazia

Taking into consideration that:

The contingent of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation stationed on the territory of Abkhazia are actively involved in military actions against the Republic of Georgia and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation have adopted a number of resolutions that have grossly violated the sovereignty of the Georgian state,

Russia had violated the Moscow Agreement of September 3, 1992, and as a result of obstructionist position taken by the Russian delegation during the negotiations in Sochi, negotiations between Russia and Georgia yielded no tangible results; The Russian side has repeatedly ignored the legitimate claims of the Georgian side on withdrawal of Russian Military units from the territory of Abkhazia, which is under control of Russian troops and the Abkhaz separatists and where facts of ethnic cleansing of Georgian populations occurred. These claims were laid down in the statements and decrees issued by the Head of the Georgian State and the Parliament of Georgia (17 December 1992, 25 February, 16-18 March, 1 April 1993 and others).

The Parliament of Georgia, believing that root cause of the tragic events unfolding in Abkhazia, Georgia is the Russian Federation’s attempt to annex a part of the territory of Georgia, decrees:

1. The Head of State of Georgia shall appeal to the President of Russian Federation to withdraw Russian Troops from Abkhazia.

The Parliament of Georgia hopes that the President of Russian Federation, having achieved a substantial success in the referendum held on 25 April 1993, will apply the power entrusted to him and very soon will take a decision on withdrawal of troops from Abkhazia.

2. In case of non-implementation of this demand, to consider the Abkhaz conflict zone-north-west to the river Gumista up to the Russian-Georgian border as a territory occupied by the Russian Federation. In this regard, the Head of State of Georgia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Georgia, Representative of the Republic of Georgia to United Nations shall bring to the attention of the UN Security Council and other international organizations the issue of bringing into motion of those mechanisms and legal instruments provided by the international law.

Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia V. Goguadze

27 April 1993

(Bulletin of the Parliament of Georgia, 1993, # # 5-8, p. 135-137)