STATEMENT OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA
Over the recent period the Parliament of
Russia, and now the Congress of the RSFSR have adopted categorical ‘Decisions’
and ‘Resolutions’, as well as the appeals to the central authorities of the
USSR aimed at imposing special sanctions
against Georgia and its population.
Regretfully we have to state that certain
officials at the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and outside of it, using the
conflict in so called South Ossetia, provoked to some
extent by the leadership of the former USSR, try to put a pressure on the
Government and the President of Russia and made them continue the traditional
imperial policy toward Georgia.
The thesis on aggression of Georgia is repeatedly
voiced in order to mislead the Russian and International society. At the same time a main initiator of eruption
of the interethnic conflict in Georgia – the leadership of the former USSR - is intentionally
concealed. Declaration of the Chairman
of the Soviet of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Mr Abdulatipov on existence in North Ossetia 100 thousand of alleged
refugees from Georgia is an outrageous
lie. let us
remind you that according to the All-Union census of 1989, the total number of
population in South Ossetia was 65.238. Taking into consideration a number of
Georgian refugees from South Ossetia that has already
reached 20 000 people, there should not be even a single dweller on the
territory of this oblast. The question
is raised – whom the Russian troops are ‘protecting’ there? Who are conflicting sides there?
It is known that a part of Ossetian
population willing to leave the territory of Georgia has already got the
permission to immigrate, as well as the compensation from the government of Georgia; therefore, those people may not be considered
as refugees. Moreover, many of Ossetian families are leaving for North Ossetia and after getting the status
of refugee and relevant pecuniary aid, they return in Georgia, to the places of
their former dwelling. Is the number of
‘refugees’ inflated at their expense?
The authorities of the North Ossetia, taking ‘advantage’ of the
distress of the people, try to receive additional financial resources for
alleged assistance to the refugees and the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
finds there proposals rather appropriate to justify such allocations. In reality, resources are aimed at rendering
the military support to the Ossetian extremists and
escalation of military operations in Georgia. The Government of Georgia considers such
developments as aggression against the independent Republic of Georgia.
We constantly declare that the conflict in so
called South Ossetia and its
consequences have been initiated not by the Georgian side and proceeds from the
geopolitical interests of the Ossetian nationalism
and imperial ambition of the USSR’s leadership.
As the conflict is unleashed on the territory
of the Republic of Georgia, where the troops of the USSR together with Ossetian extremists are carrying out military operations,
only the Soviet Government can be specified as an aggressor and all of the
material damages to the Georgian side shall be compensated by the Government of
the USSR or by its successor.
The Presidium of the Supreme Council of Georgia
and its Government express the firm protest against declarations voiced by the
Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and the Russian Congress that may be used by
hostile forces for worsening the relations between Russia and Georgia.
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia, on its turn, is
seeking the ways for regulation of the conflict in so called South Ossetia and has decided to make an
appeal to the UN asking for sending international experts to Georgia.
Tbilisi, 5 November 1991
(Bulletin of the Supreme Council of the Republic
of Georgia, 1991, # 11, p. 31-32)