DECISION ADOPTED BY THE ABKHAZ PEOPLE’S COUNCIL on nationalization of the state organizations

To: the regional commissariat, regional court, post and telegraph office, treasury, customs office, national bank’ department, inspector of public education, women’s gymnasium, te­acher’s seminary, lighthouse manager, sea-port commandant, local hospital, experimental field manager.

Please find attached the Decision made by the Peoples’ Council of Abkhazia for information and implementation.

The issue on nationalization of the state organizations was raised before the  Abkhaz People’s Council on 25 July and considering it in general as a reasonable step, the  Abkhaz People’s Council decided: the  Abkhaz People’s Council still doesn’t consider reasonable to carry out this step.  Due to the multi-ethnicity of the population of Abkhazia and difficulties on the way to carry out the nationalization of the state organizations, the  Abkhaz People’s Council decided:

To retain temporarily the Russian language as a common language at the state organizations on the territory of Abkhazia.

Every servant of the state organization shall write down the warrant that they will serve to the  Abkhaz People’s Council and will be accountable to it as to the supreme body of the region.  Persons, which deem impossible to take such responsibility shall be immediately dismissed from the position and paid the liquidating fees.  Having regarded necessary reduction of personnel, the  Abkhaz People’s Council decided to prohibit the dismissal of servants on the territory of Abkhazia with respect of ethnic origin.  The educational institutions shall serve to the local population, therefore the issue of their nationalization shall be decided by the population except of gymnasiums and other educational establishments having the status of regional importance; their issue will be decided by the People’s Council of Abkhazia. 

Chairman V. Shervashidze

Secretary – signed

3 August 1918

(Ruslan Khodjaa, Documents and Materials of the  Abkhaz People’s Council 1918-1919. Sukhum, 1999, p. 15-16/in Russian)