INTERVIEW FOR THE NEWSPAPER “APSNY MAGAZINE”(Sergei Shamba)
(November 2008)
The concept of foreign policy:
The status of “non-recognised state” prevailed over Abkhazia throughout 15 years and sharply restricted the possibilities of our country in all spheres, including of course foreign policy. Nevertheless even under the conditions of the most severe blockade we managed to do everything possible to keep and even to strengthen our position in the diplomatic arena. Our active and balanced participation in peace talks, and also our strict following of signed agreements and accurate fulfilling of obligations, gained the respect of our opponents as well as our allies.
During all those difficult post-war years our young state consistently built its foreign policy based upon international norms and principles, so this was and still is its main advantage.
Today our state foreign policy is founded on the observance of the national interests which are supported by the overwhelming majority of citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia, despite social, national and religious differences. The major external interests of our country are the maintenance of security, economic, humanitarian, cultural and other connections primarily with Russia, our closest neighbour and strategic partner, as well as with the countries of the former Soviet Union and all the states which are interested in open dialogue and cooperation with Abkhazia.
The maintenance and upholding of national interests both in the republic and outside its borders, whilst seeking foreign political assistance in the construction of a stable, multinational democratic state, is the primary goal of our ministry. We are aiming to make our republic an active participant in international cooperation in the widest sense, to follow a strategy of openness to the external world, to work towards the creation of a positive image of Аbkhazia, to attract foreign investments, and to actively establish regional and world relationships.
Mutual relations with Russia:
As you know, a Treaty on friendship and cooperation was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia. The signing of corresponding agreements on different functions within the republic is being planned. Mutual relations between Abkhazia and Russia are gradually passing to a new level of quality. Today we are building mutually advantageous cooperation in many fields. Joint projects directed towards the development of social and economic activities are planned. Gradual consolidation of the Russian and Abkhazian communities is going on, a strategic partnership is deepening and mutual aid and interchange are growing. All this is a positive impulse for the development of our country. Therefore, considering the forthcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the possibilities of teamwork in this direction, it is possible to say that Abkhazia is facing a powerful social and economic uplift. We are hoping to revive and rebuild our republic completely after its most severe decline due to war, and to take a deserved place in the region.
We have always considered Russia in the capacity of our basic strategic partner. A lot of things connect us. There are cultural ties, historic destinies, economic contacts and national traditions. In addition, Russia was and still remains the guarantor of security and peace in the region and, unlike the majority of western countries, has never tried to hide its geopolitical interests in the Caucasus. Russia, because of its political and economic potential, occupies the predominant position in the region and is interested in its development and stability.
Lately we can observe that, more and more often, fighting vessels of the USA and some European countries enter into the Black Sea. In this connection it would be natural to assume an increase of Russian activity in the Black Sea.
Abkhazia as a strategic partner of Russia is ready to offer its territorial waters as a base for Russian vessels, and this is not a sign of gratitude for the recognition of independence but is a considered, well-balanced practical step directed towards preserving stability and security in the region. Our interests lie in preserving the security of our sea borders, and Russia will receive the opportunity for implementation of its political and strategic goals, and for the development of its national interests in the region, i.e. for strengthening its leading political position in the world.
Mutual relations with Georgia:
Considering the specific nature of Georgian-Abkhazian mutual relations, which have being strongly affected by the after-effects of the Stalin era, it is necessary to stress that first of all, Georgian actions in relation to Abkhazia and its population have been all these years exclusively discriminative. The quantity of Abkhazian residents was artificially reduced, Abkhazian schools were closed, Abkhazian geographic names were changed, and as a result Abkhazian statehood was gradually annihilated. Incontestable facts testify to a purposeful policy of assimilation of the Abkhazian people. In fact, in relation to Abkhazia a deliberate total genocide was carried out.
As is known, Abkhazia had appeared as a part of Georgia due to Stalin's order. Under Stalin’s pressure Abkhazia in 1931 without any plebiscite was converted to an autonomous republic within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, which led to mass actions of protest and political demands which were repeated every 10 years. Abkhazians were the only people in the Soviet Union who organised mass national protests against reducing the status of their republic to autonomy, and they regularly, with persistence and despair, campaigned for a separation from Georgia. It is no wonder that with the aim of assimilating the Abkhazians the Georgian leaders in 1937-53 took measures which can only be defined as criminal.
For instance, Abkhazians were deprived of the right to teach children in their native language. Abkhazian children were ordered to study only in Georgian schools. Radio broadcasting in the Abkhazian language was stopped. Notice boards in the Abkhazian language in offices were removed. Abkhazian geographical names were changed into Georgian. Clerical work was conducted in the Georgian language in spite of the fact that more than 65 % of the population did not understand it. Abkhazians were urged to change their surnames to Georgian spelling, and they were persecuted, humiliated and limited in their rights. In an attempt to explain a Georgian origin of Abkhazians, a number of pseudoscientific historical and linguistic theories were created.
But oppression and persecution in Abkhazia were practised not only on Abkhazians. During the period from1949 to 1953 Russians and Armenians were not given jobs in Abkhazia and were not registered in the city of Sukhum. Because of intolerable living conditions, over 1500 Armenian families were forced to leave Abkhazia. In 1949 Greeks were violently expelled from Abkhazia, and their dwellings were occupied by immigrants from Georgia. And that was all undertaken at the state level. What other facts are necessary to demonstrate the impossibility of Abkhazia’s existence within the Georgian state? Nevertheless, Abkhazia remained as a subject of Georgia till the moment of disintegration of the USSR.
The first democratically elected Supreme Soviet of the USSR, under the guidance of Michael Gorbachev, passed a law defining the method of exit of a union republic from the composition of the USSR, according to which autonomies as a part of union republics had the right to decide independently the question of their future status.
The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, by a referendum in which Abkhazia was not invited to participate, officially declared their independence and exit from the USSR. In a national referendum Abkhazia expressed a desire to remain a subject of the Soviet Union. So, from the moment of adoption of Georgia into the United Nations, Georgia had no relation to Abkhazia, and the recognition by the United Nations of the territorial integrity of Georgia within the borders of the ex-Georgian SSR was without any legal grounds, as the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, declared in his letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Besides, in February 1992 the government of Georgia made the decision to re-adopt the Constitution of Georgia from 1921, in which relations with Abkhazia had not been defined at all, and all laws of the Soviet time were nullified. Thus Georgia lost its legal right to any claims in relation to Abkhazia. Unfortunately, the authorities of Georgia did not want to reconcile to such a situation, and preferred an armed invasion of Abkhazia to political dialogue. The results of the war unleashed against Abkhazia are all well-known.
At the present moment, at the disposal of the State Office of the Public Prosecutor of Abkhazia, there are more than 5 thousand volumes of criminal cases, testifying that the leaders of Georgia carried out genocide and ethnic cleansing concerning the people of Abkhazia.
Unfortunately, as history shows, throughout many years the policy of Georgian leaders has been directed towards the creation of a mono-ethnic state. In Georgia many people were exposed to genocide. At different times Turks-Meskhetians, Greeks, Kurds, Khemshins, Lazikans and other representatives of ethnic minorities were moved on from Georgia. For some reason, those who today persistently try to convince the Abkhazian side about the necessity of the return of refugees do not make similar declarations to the Georgian side and do not demand the immediate return of Turks-Meskhetians to Georgia, though a condition of the adoption of Georgia within the Council of Europe was the obligatory and unconditional return of Turks-Meskhetians to their lands.
It will be pertinent to remind ourselves that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in its resolution condemned totalitarian communist regimes. Members of the Parliament especially noted that the people of the former USSR suffered the most. They were also urged to carry out a revaluation of the history of communism and its past without any ambiguity. However we still do not see any objective estimation of the situation when the territories not belonging to Georgia were affiliated to it by Stalin's order. There is no estimation of the actions of the new wave of Georgian dictators, aiming by any means to keep and preserve former territories in the composition of their state. Those who hope to implement democracy in Georgia should pay attention to the fact that such a model is alien to Georgian mentality and spirit. Trying to make Georgia a democratic state is doomed to failure, as both the leaders and society of that country continue to think with imperial mentalities. It is basically impossible whilst the main efforts of the nation are directing towards the return of its lost territories.
It calls for vigilance that even today, despite numerous condemnations by the world community of the military operation by Georgia against the peaceful population of South Ossetia, Georgia does not stop its aggressive policy in relation to minorities and continues to increase its military potential, and even signs agreements of cooperation in the military sphere, to which the world’s mass-media persistently continue to close their eyes. What else must be demonstrated to the world community to terminate the process of militarization of Georgia?
Nevertheless we understand that Georgia was and remains our neighbour. There are themes which we should discuss, and we should search for the possibility of compromises. But also there are themes which concern our fundamental interests, and, as we were taught by our bitter historical experiences, we cannot make any concessions there.
We are convinced that the level of trust between our countries could increase considerably if in Georgia a real assessment of the authorities’ actions would occur. The country leaders should face up to the errors of the past and apologise to the people of Abkhazia for their state policy on assimilation, for violently unleashing a war which took the lives of thousands of innocent people and caused irreparable damage to our state and, lastly, for the economic, cultural and informational isolation into which Georgia cast Abkhazia during long post-war years.
Undoubtedly, such a decision would get big support from all the international community and would become a positive step for the solution of other conflict situations. Reconsideration of the errors by Georgia and recognition of the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia could become the basis for the construction of long-term interstate relations. Peaceful mutually advantageous cooperation would bring long-awaited peace and security to the region, and, accordingly, stability and economic prosperity, and this would be in the interests of all the states in the Caucasus and outside its borders.
Mutual relations with the West:
The univocal support of Georgia by western countries, in particular after the recent events in South Ossetia, the bias of western policy, serving certain political orders, and, lastly, the ignoring of one of the basic principles of international law - the right of people to self-determination - causes mistrust in the Abkhazian community of western politicians as a whole and undermines the authority of the USA and some leading European states. At the same time, some leading politicians in the West acknowledge the abnormal and mistaken position chosen by the Georgian leadership, which deliberately ignored us and did not wish to listen to us during all these years.
Our political interests and development drifted apart from Georgia a long time ago, and this was caused by the objective reasons which we mentioned above. Numerous attempts by intermediaries at a peaceful conflict settlement (negotiations had been proceeding for almost 15 years) have unfortunately not brought any positive results. Georgia has repeatedly broken and cancelled the signed agreements by which the fragile world has been preserved all these years, and even at one time refused to sign a draft, co-ordinated with Russia as intermediary, about the creation of a Common State, i.e. all the attempts at solving the conflict by peaceful political means did not bring any positive results. Abkhazia made its choice, as did Georgia, and the world community needs only to admit this fact. Abkhazia has always adhered to a policy of openness and transparency. We are ready for dialogue with everybody who shows their interest and who is willing to consider our opinions on a number of key questions.
As for our partnership with Russia, its strengthening has a strategic significance as it gives us a chance not only to preserve our ethnicity, but to develop economic and cultural contacts with related peoples of the North Caucasus. Russia ensures peace and stability in the region. Moreover, the Russian state is the major economic partner of our republic.
Along with this, we realise that the Republic of Abkhazia with its natural resources, recreational possibilities and intellectual potential, and above all its geopolitical value, always was and remains a subject of heightened interest for the major participants in international politics.
Abkhazia has revealed itself to be independent, and is now a recognised state. Diplomatic activity concerning the recognition of Abkhazia, its status, and its further development cannot but call for optimism. Now the process of gradual integration of our republic into the world community is underway, which is proven true by the status of Abkhazia in the capacity of a full participant in the Geneva meetings.
The world community is now in the position where it is forced to consider the point of view and to listen to the opinions of all the participants of the negotiations. Western diplomats have realised that they cannot further pretend that nothing had occurred. The time has come to face the truth and to admit our historical and legal arguments. On the map of the world two independent states have appeared - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The legitimacy of the given solution is based upon international law. Such is the objective reality, and we believe that appreciation of the correctness of the decision accepted by the President of the Russian Federation on August 26th, 2008 sooner or later will come.
Abkhazia has its own history of statehood and it appeared as a part of Georgia only as a result of Stalin's forceful actions. Therefore everyone who expressly or by implication recognises the claims of Georgia on our territory, and who denies our right to independence and recognises the ‘territorial integrity’ of Georgia, automatically supports Stalin’s violent imperial policy, so alien to all universal democratic principles.
Abkhazia never and from no one begged any new rights or special status. We only demand that which was illegally and violently taken from our people.
Respected and actively propagandised by the international community, and by the United Nations in particular, the territorial integrity of Georgia has no legal basis and cannot be a prime condition whilst the right of the people of Abkhazia to self-determination is ignored, although in this case it justly has an objective historical, legal and moral basis.
The western community should help the Georgian government to reconcile itself to an irreversible reality and to save face. A unique chance for Georgia to keep any good relations with its immediate neighbours and to put an end to enmity in the region would be its recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It is desirable to believe that sooner or later this will occur.
