RUSSIAN-ABKHAZIAN INTERRELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN REALITIES
Since the termination of existence of the USSR the Republic of Abkhazia has passed the first stage of its formation as an independent state, with all the necessary institutes, attributes and conceptions about national interests.
The retrospective view of the above time interval once again convinces us that the modern realities of the Abkhazian state cannot be observed out of the context of universal processes. In this connection, the formation of the independent Republic of Abkhazia has been directly caused by those deep-seated historical tendencies which have changed the picture of the modern world.
In numbering the factors which have had a prime effect, it is necessary to single out the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the communist system, which led to the creation of new independent states. Now is the time that the Yalta-Potsdam ideas about arranging the world are coming to an end. Already, during an initial stage of these epoch-making events, an interest in self-identification has revived in the national consciousness of the Abkhazian people, which in turn has assumed an accurate definition of national interests, taking into account diverse processes occurring in the world around.
At this time the Abkhazian people, with new hope and even more confidence in their rightness, have formulated their major interest to be the construction of an independent state - not in the capacity of being an end in itself, but as a factor in the conservation of their ethnic identity.
The Southern Caucasus has always been of interest to the big powers. Here their interests have frequently clashed, as history repeatedly shows. Political realism consists of the ability to naturally enter into the political processes occurring in the Caucasian region. At the same time, the preservation of fundamental national interests demands their correct definition and a consecutive assignment of priorities, directed first of all towards the maintenance of national security and the economic development of the country.
In February, 1810 the Highest Manifesto of the Emperor Alexander I declared the joining of the Abkhazian Princedom to the Russian Empire. Thus in 2010, 200 years will have passed since a time of determination of historical links, which also define today a vector of foreign policy priorities for the Republic of Abkhazia.
The possibility of keeping a strategic partnership with Russia, in addition to others, gives us the chance to preserve and develop economic and cultural ties with the related peoples of the North Caucasus and the South of Russia. Finally, the Russian state is the major economic partner of both our republic and the region as a whole. The population of Abkhazia sees Russia as the force capable of protecting them from external threats. This has gained strong confirmation by the large number of applications from citizens of Abkhazia requesting Russian citizenship.
Finding most of the population of Abkhazia being granted Russian citizenship gives real hope of protection by the Russian state. Besides, for thirteen years the Russian peacekeeping forces have continued to remain guarantors of the non-resumption of military operations.
Thus, it is possible to say that Abkhazia is actually under the protection of Russia. From this perspective, one should understand the words of President Putin that Russia cannot remain indifferent to the destiny of their citizens living in Abkhazia.
In this connection, in the mutual relations of Russia and Abkhazia today the most viable model of cooperation could become that of the USA and Taiwan, which have concluded a variety of interstate contracts, including those of a military character. President Bush declared that in the case of an attack upon Taiwan, China would unequivocally have to deal with the American armed forces (“The Times”, April 26th, 2001). “I hope” – Margaret Thatcher wrote in her book ‘The Art of State Management’ - “that the USA will go further and will give Taiwan an effective regional antimissile system.” (Margaret Thatcher: Alpine Publisher, 2003, p.232.)
We hope that Russia, in the same way as the United States are doing, will now firmly declare that neither now nor in the future can Abkhazia be recognised as an exclusively “internal” problem of Georgia. We consider such a model of mutual relations between Russia and Abkhazia as temporary and transitive, but which should prepare a qualitatively new level of relations between our countries. Such proposals have been formulated by us, which mean the conclusion of the ‘associated’ relations. At first these proposals were announced by President Ardzinba, then they found their reflection in an Address by the Parliament of Abkhazia to the State Duma of Russia. They mean the conclusion of interstate contracts in military-political, customs, boundary, economic and cultural areas.
Having considered the Address of the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia to the President of the Russian Federation and Federal Meeting of the Russian Federation about recognition of the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia and about establishment of the ‘associated’ relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia, the State Duma has noted that Russia has a deep historical, political and humanitarian interest in the fair resolution of problems of the Abkhazian people with whom Russians are connected by numerous close bonds. In a declaration it is noted that the Address from the Parliament RA includes well-reasoned arguments, composed from legal and historically accurate points of view. Deputies of the State Duma consider that the Address from the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia to the President and Federal Meeting of the Russian Federation about a recognition of independence of the Republic of Abkhazia and about establishment between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia of their ‘associated’ relations reflects genuine expectations of the population of Abkhazia and should be fully considered by the international community for the sake of maintaining human rights, peace and security in the region and the fair resolution of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict.
Deputies of the State Duma have also declared their support for the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Government of the Russian Federation on improving the economic situation of Abkhazia and the removal of restrictions on its foreign trade activities, on bringing to the inhabitants of Abkhazia achievements of Russian and world culture and education, and on protection of the rights of citizens of the Russian Federation and Russian compatriots living in the territory of Abkhazia.
The State Duma considers that the Russian Federation should implement the policy taking into account the Address of the Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia to the President of the Russian Federation and Federal Meeting of the Russian Federation about recognition of the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia and about the settling between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia of their ‘associated’ relations according to international legal norms, precedents and the legislation of the Russian Federation.
Such a consistent and firm policy, equitable first of all to the permanent interests of Russia in the Caucasus, which throughout the centuries has been and remains a zone of its exclusive political dominance, becomes a basic and important factor in the maintenance of stability in the region. This becomes especially important on the threshold of the forthcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
Within the last sixty years the system of world order has varied twice. After the termination of the Second World War, within twenty years there was a process of origination of dozens of independent states. Frequently these events were accompanied by long and bloody wars. Finally all these self-proclaimed states were recognised by the world community and became members of the United Nations. Since 1991 similar processes have been occurring and there are no fair arguments against the idea that states which appeared as a result of modernisations of the world should be recognised by the world community. The political territorial content of “the first basket” Helsinki final agreement on which the USSR especially insisted became invalid and valueless a long time ago. The Soviet Union has now left the world scene. There is no longer any Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia, and the two parts of Germany have been merged.
Now the question of recognition of the independence of Kosovo is being widely discussed. At the same time statements about the impossibility of extending the given approach to other unrecognised states are being made. In this connection the position of the President of the Russian Federation V.Putin shows a unique objective approach. The recognition of the independence of Kosovo, and use of this fact in the capacity of a precedent for the solution of a variety of analogous problems, except the process of developing the objectivity of the main acting parties of world politics, will help to immediately cut the Gordian knot of many outstanding problems insoluble by peaceful or military means. Certainly, for some countries this solution will be painful, but only in this way will the issue be resolved legally and permanent independence become a reality.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has recently accepted the resolution in which the mass infringements of human rights made by totalitarian communist regimes have been condemned. This resolution states that the people of the former USSR have suffered most from these crimes. Abkhazia, as one of many nations subjected to repression, also calls the UN Security Council, OSCE, EU, and the International community to show consistency and objectivity concerning Abkhazia, which became an autonomy of Georgia exclusively by Stalin's authority in 1931.
Before the disintegration of the USSR Abkhazia repeatedly requested a restoration of its status as a union republic, which had been lost because of Stalin’s wishes, and stated that not only was Abkhazia not going to get out of the Soviet Union, but had voted for preservation of the USSR in the All-Union March Referendum.
The situation changed after the declaration of independence of Georgia. As is known, the norm proclaimed in the Soviet Constitution enabling an exit of a union republic from the composition of the USSR had not been provided with the matching mechanism. In this connection the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1990 passed the law regulating the order of an exit of a union republic from the USSR. According to this law, the autonomous formations which were a part of union republics, bringing attention to the question of an exit from the Union, could solve this question independently (by the way, the Constitution of Yugoslavia did not provide such a right for the autonomy of Kosovo). Having voted for conservation of the USSR, Abkhazia answered this question in the most democratic way - by a national vote.
However Georgia had carried out an exit from the USSR absolutely ignoring all these factors. Having got out of the Union, the Georgian government proclaimed that all legal certificates accepted in Georgia during the Soviet authority had no validity. Thereby Georgia itself cancelled its relations with Abkhazia. It is important to note that Abkhazia did not accept participation in a referendum on the proclaimed independence of Georgia. Thus, after the exit of Georgia from the USSR, Abkhazia from the point of view of the Soviet legislation acting at that time actually remained as a part of the USSR. After legal registration of the disintegration of the Soviet Union in Belovezha Woods, Abkhazia ceased to be a part of the USSR. Thus, from the end of 1990 Abkhazia was both actually and legally an independent state.
From then on the Republic of Abkhazia has constantly shown stability and viability. Three times, in 1992-1993, 1998 and 2001, the people of Abkhazia with weapons in their hands have protected their right to self-determination. For years of independent existence under conditions of blockade and constant political pressure Abkhazia has shown that it was formed as a state with a peace-loving policy, democratic principles, a developing economy, respect for the rights of the person and a considerate attitude to the environment. These circumstances are favourable for recognition of the Republic of Abkhazia by the Russian Federation, and after that by other states of the world.
In this connection the development of a mechanism for the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia is necessary, which would fully match the interests of both parties and would not produce any excessive irritation of leading international partners of the Russian Federation.
Within the limits of such a mechanism, a stage-by-stage realisation of some provisions which under conditions of complex and timely implementation would lead to the required aim is obviously possible. Among provisions of double-sided character it is necessary to list:
- Development of the initiative of the Federal Meeting of the State Duma of the Russian Federation about a recognition of the right of the people of Abkhazia, Trandnestr Republic and South Ossetia to self-determination, fixed in decisions of the State Duma of the Russian Federation accepted in the autumn of 2006;
- The conclusion of some interstate agreements on key questions of interaction between Russia and Abkhazia;
- Integration of Abkhazia into legal space of the Russian Federation by means of harmonisation of legislations, and also its connection to national projects of the Russian Federation on the basis of the concluded interstate agreements.
By recognising the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia, Trandnestr Republic and South Ossetia, Russia will finish the political-legal registration of the disintegration of the USSR and will confirm their status as the assignee of the Soviet Union.
Thus Russia will have an opportunity to create "a good neighbourhood belt", treating Abkhazia, Trandnestr Republic and South Ossetia as states loyal to the Russian Federation.
Such acts by Russia will undoubtedly be approved by the population of the North Caucasus and the South of Russia, who have repeatedly declared their support for the independence of Abkhazia. Thereby Russia will gain the additional potential of an influence over the situation in this region.
For implementation of the given scenario, practically no additional material inputs are required from the Russian Federation. The economy of Abkhazia already is closely connected today with Russia which is practically its only trade and economic partner and creditor, and the basic foreign proprietor of property in Republic territory.
Also, no additional assurances of inviolability of property and protection of investments in Abkhazia will be required for Russian businesses, as deals have been issued under the legislation of de facto independent states which, naturally, will not change after recognition of de jure independence.
The Russian side gains access to important transit transport routes and infrastructural installations, including a strip of the Black Sea coastline in immediate proximity to the forthcoming Winter Olympic Games of 2014.
Questions of the Russian military presence in this strategically important region will not be discussed within international agendas, but in the context of double-sided Russian-Abkhazian relations.
It is necessary to note that some considerable obstacles in the way of consecutive, stage-by-stage advancement have been successfully overcome. Among them, undoubtedly, it is possible to refer to the introduction of Abkhazia into the rouble zone, the giving of Russian citizenship to inhabitants of Abkhazia, a visa-free regime and the continuing inflow of Russian investments into the economy of Abkhazia.
At the same time, in the context of the events developing round Kosovo, the offered project of a stage-by-stage recognition of the independence of Abkhazia is limited in time. If Russia does not react resolutely, adequately and sweepingly in the case of the recognition of the independence of Kosovo the opportunity can be missed and when this subject ceases to be topical, references to it will not be perceived to an appropriate extent.
The modern world builds bases of life by rigid rules and frequently cynical rationality, and in interstate relations any abstractions pale into insignificance, giving way to the vested interests of influential creators of world policy.
Modern international law does not provide any rules of law somehow restricting the right of states to recognise newly formed states even if separation has occurred without the consent of the former mother country.
Implementing its right to a recognition of Abkhazia, Russia will start first of all with the necessity of protection of political and economic interests, and also will be guided by political and economic feasibility. Such an act by Russia, directed towards the restoration of historical justice, will be justified from the point of view of high morals; it also will be firmly supporting the will of the people expressed in a national referendum.
S. M. Shamba,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
08.11.2007
