STATEMENT: Ordner or Chaos. By Giorgi Tortladze.

On 25 August 2008 the Russian Duma recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and 24 hours later the President of the Russian Federation, Dimitry Medvedyev approved the decision of the Duma and the request of the separatist authorities.

That was a response to the recommendations of various countries to the Russian Federation on fulfillment of the 6-item agreement on cease-fire and withdrawal of the troops from the territory of Georgia. The President of France, Nikola Sarkozi plaid extremely important role in overcoming this critical situation.

We all know what this 6-item agreement is about. Despite of a cease-fire agreement the bombing of Georgian cities was continued after 12 September; the bridges were exploded and the ships, infrastructure and the civilian buildings were destroyed. Using the fire-bombs they devastated the forest areas – totally 1400 hectares, restoration of which will take at least two centuries.

In contrary to the Agreement the Russian troops still remain on the Georgian territory. They create new posts and dig the trenches. All of these activities are carried out outside of the conflict zone, on the territory of Georgia. There were facts of marauding that became public due to the decisive work of journalists and reporters. Here I would like to express my deepest sorrow for those who perished in the course of fulfilling their professional duties.

Against this background one still can hear the question: who shoot the first!

I would like to say for those who may not know that: the problem of the first shot the Soviet Russia solved in 30 November 1939 in Finland, when the group of NKVD destroyed its own border post at the village Mainil using this event as a ground for starting the war against Finland. At the same day Molotov cinically noted: “the Red Army has to respond to the hostile policy of Finland and their aim is to protect security of Leningrad”.

I’m not going to draw your attention to the terrorist acts and the violations of border from the Russia’s side, as they will not fail to blame Georgian authorities in doing them.

In order to wave any doubt how this big provocation was being prepared, let me provide you with the information about certain legislative initiatives of the Russian Federation.

For example, on 22 July 2004 A. Kokoshin, the chairman of the Committee of CIS Affairs of the Russian Duma, lodged the initiative to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. His application read as follows: “on the legal basis for possible affiliation of the South Ossetia to the Russian Federation as a new entity”.
We have to remember that for the material time Russia was fulfilling its mandate as a peacekeeper in the region.

It is regretful that such “first shots” did not become the subject of the wider public consideration.

How it can be explained that on 9 December 2004 a group of parliamentarians of the Russian Federation, namely the representatives of the Faction “Rodina” – D. Rogozin, N. Narochnitskaya and A. SAvelieva drafted the amendments regarding the “Procedure on Admitting a New Entities to the Russian Federation”. The authors offered to the Government the simplified procedure for admitting the new entities to the Russian Federation. It also applied to the autonomous entities of the former Soviet Union.

The aim of this drat-law was to simplify the procedure for the membership in the Russian federation. It states that this is possible if the people residing on the given territory express such will through the referendum. Indeed, according to the authors, there is no need to have a consent of the country whose part is this or that autonomous entity. Moreover, the draft-law suggests to adopt a special constitutional law to admit to the Russian federation the new entities, such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Adjara etc. According to the authors the necessity of introducing such amendments is originated form the fact that “Russia and a legal successor of the Soviet Union, thus having the right to incorporate the autonomous entities of the former Soviet Union through the simplified procedure”.

Let’s consider the latest novelties of the Russian legislation.

On 13 June 2008 the ad hoc Commission on the North Caucasus Situations of the Russian Federation examined the issues related to the population of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The enlarged meeting of this Commission was planned for 17 June. The Mission of South Ossetia received the invitation to participate in the work of the ad hoc Commission of the Council of Federation of the CIS.


It is well known fact that regional department of LDPR initiated the unification of the North Ossetia with South Ossetia.

Not to mention surprises like information provided by TV Company “Zvezda”, according to which on the territory of North Ossetia functions concrete plant, imported from Korea and thanks to efforts of Russian specialist they are building highway of 500km length, which would link South Ossetia with North Ossetia bypassing Georgian checkpoints.
I think there is not a single country in the world, which would be unaware of “territorial appetites” of the Soviets. There is no country, towards which the Soviets did not have territorial claims. They wanted from Norway-archipelago Shpicbergen, from Turkey-Dardanelle, and territories for military bases from Greece and Tripoli Tania (Libya).
There is no need to explain this reality to Poland, Baltic States and the Ukraine. In these states the Soviets expressed and promoted their interests through Molotov-Ribentroup pact.

The Soviet Union introduced its troops into the territory of Iran during the Second World War and through its security service they would carry out so called “democratic movement”, which aimed at depriving Iran its south provinces and attaching them to the Soviet Azerbaijan. Only in 1956 the Soviets give up on this intention. However, relations with Russians show that their words and promises do not mean much. For example, four Japanese islands, occupied by the Soviet Army in 1945. It is true that in 1956 Russia reached an agreement with Japan, which stipulated return of two islands out of the occupied four islands. However, just in four years, in 1960, it refused to meet its own previous commitments.

Is there any need to explain to Europeans, what does it mean “peace enforcement “ in a Soviet way. Let’s remember Hungary in 1956, Prague in 1968. Is there any need to talk about protection of civilian rights?

Protection of its own citizens on the territories of other states, as well as misinterpretation of issue who started shooting first, is very well adopted and practiced by Russia in many countries, as it was the case with Nazi Germany in the 30s of the 20th century.
Maybe some would say, that all that happened in the Soviet Union, while today we are dealing with the Russian Federation, which can not be held responsible for its past history. That is a true argument, but what about the statement of Vladimir Putin: “dissolution of the Soviet Union was the largest geo-political catastrophe of 21st century” and legislative act adopted by the State Duma (December 9, 2004)- “Russia is a legal successor of the Soviet Union”.

Examples of recent history demonstrate that today, like during the Soviet Union, the security concept of Russia envisages further expansion of its borders and establishment of security buffer zones.

But let me ask a question. From whom is Russia defending itself, and who is attacking Russia? Georgia?

Georgia’s population is about 1/3 of the population of Russia and territory of Russia is 150 times larger than territory of Georgia.

I call upon the international community, please do not be trapped by demagogue and political technology games of who “shoot first”.

Today, I am not going to speak about my personnel opinions, but rather I would like to draw your attention on mere facts and chronology of events, which is available for those who are interested in the Archives.

On May 7, 1920 Russia recognized the independence of Georgia. The only demand of Russia towards Georgia was to allow local Bolsheviks to function freely on the Territory of Georgia. After that, as pointed out by Ossetian Bolsheviks themselves, on the territory of four administrative units of Georgia: Gori, Dusheti, Racha and Shoropani they set up “ District Committee of South Ossetian Bolsheviks”.

It is interesting, why they called it South Ossetia, when beyond the Caucasian range, where is historical Ossetia-Alania, which was at that time part of the Russian Federation, as a constituent part of the Union of Mountain Republics, there was no mention of North Ossetia. Therefore, they have created Union of South Ossetian Bolsheviks, while there was no North Ossetia in existence. The title of North Ossetia came into existence only after the District Committee of South Ossetian Bolsheviks appealed to Lenin with a request,
- to admit them to the Bolshevik Russia, since the Menshevik government of Georgia was unacceptable for them.

At that time, this request was rejected by the Kremlin under the pretext that the Caucasian ranges were closed for 9 months out of 12 in a year and therefore direct transport communications between the two was actually impossible. What is important in this respect is a fact that at that time, in 1921, Russia had already decided to occupy the whole Georgia and therefore South Ossetia Autonomy was formed as a administrative territorial unit within Georgia. As a result of military intervention, the whole territory of Georgia became part of Soviet empire.

These are facts and nobody is able to deny them. I call upon the international community to pay more attention to Russian sources; for example, in great Soviet encyclopedia of 1940, you will see the following definition of Poland: Poland is a geographic notion and this territory it is in the sphere of German interest (should we trust their publications?).
Now, when it comes to protection of Russian citizens on the territory of Georgia- that is the Russian way of “protection” of its citizens in a “humane” manner; Russia had carried out sterilization of these territories of ethnic Georgians, pursued policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Therefore, Russia had been “protecting” its own citizens at the cost of discrimination of ethnic Georgians.

Therefore, when Russia claims in a most cynical way that it has been protecting its own citizens on the territory of Georgia, I would like to remind it that: neither Georgian, nor Russian legislation provides for double citizenship. Therefore, those citizens who assume Russian citizenship, automatically loose Georgian citizenship, that is, there staying on the territory of Georgia is no longer legal, since for many years now, there is visa regime between Georgia and Russia, and the aforementioned so called citizens of Georgia have not gone through any custom checkpoints. Proceeding from the aforementioned, the Russian government should not protect its own citizens who are illegally on the territory of other country, but to take immediate steps to remove them from the territory of Georgia.

The so called Russian peacekeepers and criminal paramilitary groups under their patronage have driven out ethnic Georgians from their homes, grossly violated their property rights and carried out ethnic cleansing against Georgians. (declarations of December 2-3 , 1996 Lisbon and 18-19 November, 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summits).

I would like to remind you, that in the beginning of July, 2008 Mr. Karl Schtainmayer presented a very realistic and reasonable plan for peaceful settlement of the conflict and demonstrated very clear ways hot to stabilize the situation in the volatile region.

Peaceful settlement of these conflicts would lead to the return of displaced citizens of Georgia and restoration of legality and Georgian jurisdiction in these regions, and all these developments would not serve the neo-imperial plans of Russia and the legislative initiatives starting since 2004 are the potent proof of the abovementioned. It is no surprise that Mr. Bagapsh, as a crony of Russia, rejected the Shtainmayer plan outright.

A few words about one aspect of Georgian-Russian conflict.

I am a Chairman of opposition faction in the Parliament of Georgia and has been elected to the Parliament from the United Opposition list, therefore I am from the most radical opposition movement. However, it should be underlined that I have rejected the idea of boycotting the Parliament and establishing an alternative consultative body. I remember very well the bitter experience of similar actions in 1991-92.

Let me remind you, that on December 21, 1991 the so called Commonwealth of Independent States was established, and Georgia refused to join this organization. On the very next day, on 22 December 1991 military operation aiming at deposal of the Georgia legitimate authorities started. Alongside with Russian heavy weapons and finances, political opponents of President Gamsakhurdia were used in the process.

I do believe that democracy is a mechanism for the management of State and we have got to improve it through our own efforts and aspirations. The Georgian people will not allow anybody to intervene in our inner political processes.

As far as unilateral and arbitrary recognition of independence of integral parts of Georgia is concerned, words said by Arnold Toynbee come to my mind, which recognized society and civilization, formulated by religion and geography, as a legal entity of history.
Or let’s take George Elenik’s “theory of three elements, which the foundation of statehood.
In accordance with 1993 Montevideo convention, article 1, a State, as a subject of international law, must have the following characteristics:

1. permanent population
2. defined government
3. government
4. capacity to establish relations with other states.

Let’s address all these characteristics one by one:

1. Vast majority of permanent population is displaced from both regions (Abkhazia and Tskinvali region)
2. Both territories are integral part of Georgia.
3. Governments have been elected as a result of ethnic cleansing and with the support of Russian tanks and military forces.
4. Not a single State (except Russia) has legal relations with the separatist regimes.

A question comes to a surface, are there any legal and legitimate arguments for recognizing these separatist enclaves as independent entities. We think that we are witnessing Russia’s attempts aiming at creation of mono-ethnic zone.

So far, not a single State has been established under the pretext of protection own citizens residing on the territory of other state (except for Hitler’s “legalistic innovations”). This is Russia’s interpretation of the international law.

Today the civilized world faces a dilemma, defined not only by a desire to render support to Georgia: The Georgia case gave the birth to the following dilemma:

Order or chaos
Relations based on mutual respect and agreement or demonstration of force.

Georgia needs support from the international community to prove to the world that in Georgia we do not have ethnic conflict and provide we will manage to neutralize the sources of separatism, we will have no conflict either with Abkhazs, or with Ossetians.
First of all, an agreement reached thanks to Mr. Nicola Sarkozy should be materialized. And the next step could be considerer implementation of peace plan offered by Mr. Karl Schtaimayer.

We will prove that the only method for solution of the similar conflicts is nothing but peaceful coexistence, and that still remains a possibility in our case, provided Russia withdraws its troops from the territory of Georgia, the peace process is internationalized, and displaced persons from both sides are allowed to return to their homes.

To this end, we need your held, support of the international community and do promise that you will be proud of events developing in Georgia.
We will be able to solve the task in a dignified manner.


Giorgi Tortladze
Member of the Parliament of Georgia
Chairman of the faction “Strong Georgia –Christian Democrats

soure >>>