APPEAL TO THE THIRD EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE’S DEPUTIES OF THE RUSSIAN SOVIET SOCIALIST FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC

On 31 March of this year the Congress of the RSFSR adopted the Resolution on the situation in South Ossetia.

Authoritative tone of the said Resolution, in addition to the interference in the domestic affairs of Georgia, may not be adequate for such a great Forum.

It is also notable that the Resolution was adopted without proper consideration. The Congress of the People’s Deputies of the RSFSR adopted the Resolution only on the basis of information covered by central media means. They had no time to listen to the representative of the Republic of Georgia, learn the real situation established in the Republic, investigate the reasons of conflict in the former Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia and investigate the culpability of those who had organized anti-Georgian putsch and violated the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia.

Regarding the Resolution I should make the following remarks:

1. Ossetian extremists supported morally and physically by reactionary forces, including the modern military equipment, bear the burden of responsibility for the events developed in 1990-1991 in the historical homeland of Georgians – in Shida Kartli, which was turned into the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast by Bolsheviks in 1922, through the negligence of moral and legal norms. In fact they have more supporters in the Union Government.

2. So called South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast is a result of barefaced armed intervention, occupation and annexation of Georgia by the Red Army. The RCP (b) used the Ossetian population of Shida Kartli in 1918-1921 against the legitimate government of the Republic of Georgia, which unyoked itself from the Russian Empire and started developing the genuine democracy, thus rejecting the idea of proletariat’s dictatorship. Therefore, the mines planted in 1920 by the RCP (b) become explosive today. Everything is being developed on the basis of old principles. We assumed that the Democratic Russia would stand with Georgian people to protect our state sovereignty making unable the Center and other forces to violate the territorial integrity of our republics and against the will of the forces that support the idea of “Renewed Federation”, but in fact make our republics the hostages in the hands of the Union Government.

3. Problem of Shida Kartli (there is no such notion as “South Ossetia”, or “the South of Ossetia”) is a matter of internal affairs of the Republic of Georgia; however, we are ready to cooperate with the republics of the RSFSR as the case also implies the interests of the Republic of North Ossetia. This way is considered in the Protocol of 23 March 1991 on the meeting and negotiations of the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia Z.K. Gamsakhurdia. However, the Government of the Republic of Georgia finds inadmissible the unilateral intervention in the internal affairs of the Republic of Georgia through advancing the requirements in a form of ultimatums on restoring the status of the autonomous oblast, releasing T. Kulumbekov and other “unlawfully detained” persons. (Who actually determined the unlawfulness of the said decision?!). Seems the forces with Imperial ambitions are developing the single front for fighting against the parliament of the Republic of Georgia. The latter is legitimately elected and has the aspiration to bring back Georgia’s independence – forcibly taken away in February 1921, and to restore the historical justice. This position is supported by the vast majority of Georgia’s population, and it is proved by the results of the Referendum in which 95% of the voters participated. 99.6% of the voters indorsed the idea of restoring of the independent Georgia on the basis of Declaration of 26 May 1918. Given the fact that non-Georgian nationals represent 30% of the population it becomes clear that ongoing processes in our republic are fair and irreversible, and the social base providing the fundamental for the parliament of Georgia is genuinely multinational.

The Referendum of 31 March is the true historical event paving the way towards Georgia’s freedom and independence. On the same day the Congress of the Russian SFSR adopted the Resolution that is a mere support to the imperialistic ambitions of the Soviet Government. The aforementioned is clearly demonstrated in the Appeal of the Congress to the President of the USSR and to the Council of Federation of the USSR in which they ask to take “immediate measures for normalizing the situation in South Ossetia”.

What kind of consequences may entail such prompt measures of the central Government aimed at restoring the order You could witness in Tbilisi, Baku, Vilnius, Riga and other regions.

It is rather strange that the Resolution was adopted by the majority, including the Russian democratic forces, allegedly fighting against the dictatorship and imperialistic ambitions of the Union Government.

Being aware in our true endeavors we at the same time realized that the Union Government would toughen its position after the Referendum through taking advantage of the developments in Shida Kartli.

Evidently, another aggression against the Republic of Georgia is being prepared. Unfortunately the Resolution adopted by the Russian Congress represents the permission for usage of military forces against the sovereign republic.

Therefore, through adopting such Resolution the people’s deputies of the Russian SFSR assumed the moral responsibility for the possible actions of the Union Government against the legitimate democratic Government, which leads its country towards the independence.

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia.

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia Z. Gamsakhurdia

(Newspaper “Abkhazetis Khma” /Voice of Abkhazia/, # 59, 4 April 1991)