ADDRESS OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL
OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA TO THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR
On April 1
1991 the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
adopted a resolution ‚On the Situation in the South Ossetian
Autonomous Oblast‘.
The resolution
is another act, this time with unforeseeable results, targeting at further
escalation of the situation in Shida Kartli, i.e. on the territory of former South Ossetian Autonomous Area.
It is only
with support from outside that Ossetian extremists
can perpetrate outrage and violence on the historically Georgian lands and
destabilize the situation in the Republic
of Georgia that is
following the path towards restoring its statehood that it was forcibly robbed
of.
The resolution
followed similar documents adopted by the Third Congress of the People’s
Deputies of the Russian SFSR. Despite the protocol of the meeting between
Chairman of the Russian SFSR Supreme Soviet Mr. B. Yeltsin and Chairman of the
Republic of Georgia Supreme Soviet Z. Gamsakhurdia
(which identified a way towards settling the problems in view of the interests
of the Republic of Georgia and the Republic of North Ossetia),
and under the influence of conservative forces, the Congress categorically
demanded resolution of the conflict. In its turn, the USSR Supreme Soviet made
every effort to escalate the compulsory measures.
A united front
was created against Georgia
that strives for independence. While together with ethnic minorities that make
up approximately 30 per cent of the population living on the territory of the
Republic of Georgia, the Georgian people almost unanimously (by 89.3 per cent
of the total constituent population) voted for independence at the Republican
referendum, the Center seemed to prepare for another annexation and occupation
of the Republic of Georgia under the pretext of the putsch in South Ossetia.
The
democratically elected multi-party Supreme Soviet of the Republic
of Georgia took into account the
complicated social, political and economic situation in the USSR and
proclaimed a period of transition for fully restoring its statehood.
We expected
that step to become a factor of stabilization for the Republic
of Georgia to gradually disaffiliate
from the USSR
using democratic political means. The way we chose corresponded to the
interests of both the entire people of Georgia and all the people of good
will. Yet after the famous turn back to the right wing, the Union’s government
that denies any reason, showed no initiative in that regard, which resulted in
the bloodshed in Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, and the artificially provoked
conflict on the territory of the former South Ossetian
Autonomous Area. Today Georgia
is an annexed state, yet it has its democratically elected government that is
fully supported by the population (as unambiguously confirmed by results of the
Republican referendum of March 31 1991).
We shall
evaluate any inflammatory actions of the Union’s authorities, be it in the form
of declaring a state of emergency or presidential government in any part of Georgia’s territory, as a declaration of war
against the Republic
of Georgia.
We
categorically state that Union’s authorities
shall be held fully responsible for anticipated results.
The Presidium
of the Supreme Council of the Republic
of Georgia
Chairman of
the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia
Z. Gamsakhurdia
Tbilisi, 2 April 1991
(Bulletins of the Supreme Soviet
of the Republic of Georgia, # 4, 1991, pp. 96-97)