RESOLUTION OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA on Non-Implementation by the Russian Federation of the Joint Statement Adopted at the Istanbul OSCE Summit in 1999

The Parliament of Georgia is extremely concerned by the fact of non-implementation by the Russian Federation of the Joint Statement adopted at the Istanbul OSCE Summit in 1999 and emphasizes that the Russian Federation has violated the international agreement by not closing the Gudauta military base in within a fixed time-frame.

The Parliament of Georgia … calls upon the Russian Federation to fully implement all provisions of the Joint Istanbul OSCE Statement.

Non-implementation of pledged commitments taken in the front of International Community-is a dangerous precedent and poses threat to the modern, universally recognized norms of international law and the established world order.

Driving out of ethnic Georgians from Abkhazia in 1992-94 was qualified by the OSCE as an ethnic cleansing, and the introduction by Russia of via-free, favorable conditions for Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region was qualified by the European Parliament as an attempt at factual annexation. Dragging out by the Russian Federation of the process of closing the Gudauta military base-represents the gross violation of international agreement and  amounts to overt support to the separatist regime of Abkhazia. The recent manifestly unfriendly steps taken by the Russian Federation against Georgia, namely, unilateral introduction of visa -free regime on the territories under the control of separatist regimes in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.

Seeking to achieve mutually acceptable and timely agreement with regard to time -frame for closing the Batumi and Akhalkalaki military bases and declaring that it is not in the best interests of Georgia to have on its territory military bases of foreign states,

The Parliament of Georgia decrees:

Purposeful blockage by the Russian Federation of the process of closing the Gudauta military base is to be qualified as gross violation of State sovereignty of Georgia, overt support of the separatist regime of Abkhazia and attempt at legitimization of factual occupation and annexation of the part of the territory of Georgia after the ethnic cleansing that took place in 1992-94.

- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia shall appeal to the OSCE and its member states, as well as to other international organizations to react adequately to the fact of gross violation by the Russian Federation of the Joint Istanbul OSCE Statement adopted in 1999;

- Ministry of Taxation and Ministry of Finance of Georgia shall secure, in accordance with the established regulations, definition of amount of taxes to be paid by the Russian Federation for usage the territory of Georgia (land tax) and other taxes;

- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia shall start negotiations with the Russian Federation on the issues related to compensation for illegally withdrawn from Georgia, after 1991, military property of the USSR that belonged to Georgia.

- To entrust competent committees of the Parliament of Georgia with a task of preparing proposals relating to payment of material and ecological damage caused by the presence of Russian military bases on the territory of Georgia.

- In case of non-implementation by the Russian Federation of its commitments envisaged in the Istanbul Joint Statement, the Parliament of Georgia shall address the issue of expedience of ratification of the adopted agreement on Conventional Forces in Europe.

Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia Z. Zhvania

18 July 2001

(Newspaper “Afkhazetis khma”, # 29, 20 July 2001)