THE RESOLUTION OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA on the Soviet Occupation of Georgia

Whereas following the restoration of statehood of Georgia on May 26, 1918 Soviet Russia launched activities against the Democratic Republic of Georgia aimed at occupying and establishing the Soviet in the country;

Whereas in January 1921, Soviet Russia unilaterally breached The Moscow Agreement of May 7, 1920 by which it had unconditionally recognised Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and committed itself to non-interference in its internal affairs, and started a military intervention on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Georgia;

Whereas on the 25th of February of the same year, the Russian Red Army seized Tbilisi and overthrew Georgian Government elected through free and universal elections, subsequently annexing the Democratic Republic of Georgia – a subject of international law;

Whereas the communist occupational regime, established as a result of the annexation, claimed lives of hundreds of thousands of Georgian citizens and seized their property;

Whereas in 1991, upon the restoration of the independence of Georgia and dissolution of the Soviet Union, the successor of the Soviet empire – the Russian Federation – failed to reverse the results of the occupation and refuses to recognise the fact of the occupation until today;

Whereas in 1990s the Russian Federation sponsored armed conflicts on the Georgian territory and whereas Russia supported and directly participated in carrying out an internationally-recognised ethnic cleansing on the territories of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic and  the former Autonomous District of South Ossetia;

Whereas, for all this time, Russia has regarded democratic development of Georgia as inadmissible, and to stop it, it carried out another military intervention in 2008, occupying the territories of the Abkhaz Autonomous republic and the former South Autonomous District of South Ossetia, carrying out the second wave of ethnic cleansing;

Whereas 25th of February is the day of annexation and occupation of Georgia and whereas considerable part of the Georgian territory is still occupied by the Russian Federation until today;

The Parliament of Georgia:

1. Declares the 25th of February as the day of Soviet occupation of Georgia;

2. Instructs the Government of Georgia to work out and implement events dedicated to honouring victims of the occupation and marking the Occupation Day on 25th of February of every year;

3. Establishes to lower state flags on the whole territory of Georgia on 25th of February of every year;

4. Establishes to hold a minute of silence on 25th of February of every year on the whole territory of Georgia to honour the memory of the victims of the occupation;

5. Appeals to public organisations, private entities and enterprises to refrain from public entertainment events on that day.

6. This Decree shall come into effect immediately upon publication.

Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia David Bakradze

Tbilisi, 21 July, 2010

(The archive of the Parliament of Georgia)