DECREE ISSUED BY THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ABKHAZIA

The statehood of Abkhazia counts more than 12 centuries. In 1810 Abkhazia voluntarily came under the protection of Russia as an independent entity and remained within its jurisdiction until 1917.

In 1918-1921 Georgian Democratic Republic, founded after collapse of Russian Empire, resorted aggression against Abkhazia and occupied its territory.

On 31 March 1921 Abkhazia was declared as an independent Soviet Socialist Republic (the Abkhaz SSR). and in February of 1922, on the basis of Union Treaty it was united with the Georgian SSR, that was a Federative Republic according to the Constitution of 1927 (Article 2). In February of 1931, Stalin willfully reduced the status of the Abkhaz SSR to that of an autonomous republic within Georgia. Though Abkhazia was a part of Georgia, it was a state having its Constitution, supreme bodies of legislative and executive power and possessed territorial sovereignty. All these provisions were assigned in the Constitution of Georgia and Abkhazia of 1978 that regulated relation between the Abkhaz ASSR and the Georgian SSR. In 1989-1990 Georgian authorities abolished all legal acts that determined the relation between Abkhazia and Georgia. In this regard the Supreme Council of Abkhazia declared state sovereignty of Abkhazia in August of 1990. In February of 1992 Georgia reinstated its 1921 Constitution of the Georgian Democratic Republic thus terminating the existence of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia with which the Abkhaz ASSR had the state-legal relation. Georgian Constitution of 1921 didn’t consider the Abkhaz ASSR. As a fact, Georgia unilaterally ceased the legal relations with Abkhazia. That’s why in July of 1992 Abkhazia had to reinstate the Constitution of 1925 on its territory that allowed for a treaty-based relation with Georgia.

In 14 August 1992 the Supreme Council of Abkhazia had to discuss the draft of an Agreement with the Republic of Georgia and exactly that day Georgia launched invasion of Abkhazia. So, the day of invasion Abkhazia was a sovereign state and a subject to the International Law.

Considering then existing circumstances, detachment of troops of the State Council of Georgia to the territory of Abkhazia, in accordance of the definition of the UN, is an act of aggression…

Proceeding from the aforementioned, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Abkhazia decrees:

To consider armed attack of the troops of the State Council of Georgia to Abkhazia in 14 August 1992 and occupation of the part of its territory as an aggression of Georgia against the Republic of Abkhazia.

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Abkhazia V. Ardzinba

16 September 1992

(Newspaper “Svobodnaia Abkhazia”, # 2, 1992)