In connection with the recent statement by Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Prime Minister which stated that "on March 31, 1991, a nationwide referendum was held in which all of Georgia—including the population of Abkhazia and Samachablo—unanimously, before the eyes of the entire world, voted for the sovereign future of the country," we consider it necessary to provide a comprehensive legal and historical clarification.

Any attempts to attribute Abkhazia's participation in this vote are a blatant distortion of the facts and do not correspond to historical and legal reality. The will of the Abkhaz people was reflected in the results of the All-Union referendum of March 17, 1991, during which the absolute majority of the population of the Abkhaz ASSR voted for the preservation of the USSR and confirmed the right to independently determine the future status of Abkhazia. This plebiscite was not an "independent referendum," but was conducted within the framework of the legal all-Union procedure of an all-Union referendum. The protocols and official documents of the vote confirm its legitimacy and the unambiguous expression of the will of the population of the Abkhaz ASSR in accordance with the USSR legislation in force at the time.

According to the USSR Law of April 3, 1990, "On the Procedure for Resolving Issues Related to the Secession of a Union Republic from the USSR," autonomous republics had the right to independently decide their legal status in the event of a Union Republic's secession from the Union. The Abkhaz ASSR exercised this right by participating in the All-Union referendum, while the Georgian SSR boycotted it and subsequently held its own referendum on March 31, 1991, outside the procedures of Soviet legislation and without the participation of Union bodies, which calls into question its legal and international legal legitimacy. Following a referendum on March 31, 1991, Georgia declared of the restoration of its state independence, lost in 1921, citing its status prior to joining the USSR. In this context, it is worth recalling the status of Abkhazia itself at that time: according to the Union Treaty of December 16, 1921, Abkhazia and Georgia enjoyed equal rights.

Appealing to Georgia's status at the time of its accession to the USSR while simultaneously ignoring Abkhazia's equal status are inherently contradictory and demonstrate a selective approach to historical and legal assessment. The Republic of Abkhazia insists on strict adherence to historical and legal truth: any attempts to falsify facts and alter historical reality are invalid and cannot alter the legitimate right of the people of Abkhazia to independently determine their future.