DECLARATION ADOPTED AT THE MEETING OF ALL-LEVEL COUNCILS OF THE ABKHAZ ASSR on the issues discussed at the 10th Session of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR

Present political and social reforms, based on the acknowledgment of the priority of the universal human values, lay a good ground to the fulfillment of peoples’ demand.

Certain forces, relying on the violent means of protection of their own interests have chosen the dangerous way to fulfill them. That is a barefaced provocation and confrontation between Abkhazs, Georgians and other peoples living together over the ages.  In such circumstances we may loose the social-political rights and freedoms we have achieved.  Moreover, we may find ourselves in far worse situation than we were before the reforms.

At the sessions of the local Councils, meetings of electors, labour collectives, public organizations and agencies thousands of people talked about the established situation in the autonomous republic due to the repeated convocation of the 10th session of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR and released documents of the session.

The negative assessment has been done to the role of the Supreme Council and its Presidium for introducing new methods of political confrontation in the autonomous republic.

The resolutions and appeals adopted by the labour collectives express the concern regarding the proposals on legal protection of the Abkhaz state independence, which may violate the territorial integrity of Georgia as a sovereign country.  Discussion of such issues at the session runs counter to the vital interests of the majority population of the autonomous republic and facilitates neither to the fair solution of the problems nor to the establishment of peace and good-neigbourly relations between the peoples.

In this regard the electors call on the deputies of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR not to participate at the Session.  Otherwise the following assessment will be done to their conduct: they don’t want to protect the legal interests and demands of the electors…

The meeting of the Deputies is authorized to declare the following:

1. Pursuant to the Declaration “On the principles of international law” adopted by the United Nations Organization on 24 October 1970, the process of the self-determination shall be conducted without violation of the territorial integrity and without undermining the political unity of the state.  Published documents on legal guarantees of the protection of Abkhazia’s state independence are aimed at violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia as a sovereign country, thus discussion of this matter at a level of the Supreme Council of the autonomous republic is unlawful and inadmissible.

2. In order to settle the situation and overcome the confrontation through the constructive dialog based on the principles of mutual understanding and reciprocity, the deputies shall take active participation in the work of the Commission established by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Georgian SSR and submit the conclusions and proposals for further discussion to the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR.

3. For the alternative conduct we offer to the interested parties to establish the committee on national reconciliation comprising of the representatives from all districts, ethnic groups, public and political movements of Abkhazia, which will make decision on the basis of consensus.

4. We agree to participate at the 10th session of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia with the following agenda: Adoption of the electoral law for the Supreme and local Councils of the Abkhaz ASSR.

Problems of the current and future development of Abkhazia, issues on enlargement of its political and economic rights shall be decided on the constitutional and legal basis respecting the view of the general public.

5. This Decree shall be sent to the Supreme council of the Georgian SSR, Supreme Council of the Abkhaz ASSR and published in press.

23 August 1990

(Newspaper “Sabchota Abkhazeti”, # 162, 24 August, 1990)