The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia drew attention to the speech of Georgi Margvelashvili, the Georgian President on May 26 this year on the occasion of the celebration of the day of Georgia's independence.
Congratulating, in particular, "Abkhaz compatriots", Margvelashvili stated that "in 1991, in a referendum we together said that Georgia was an independent country".
Let us remind to the President of Georgia that at the referendum held on March 17, 1991, the Abkhaz and the majority of the Russian-speaking population of the Abkhaz ASSR supported the preservation of the USSR "as an updated federation of equal sovereign republics", whereas the Abkhazian population boycotted the referendum, organized on March 31 of the same year on the independence of Georgia.
It is obvious that the boycott of the referendum on March 31, 1991 convincingly demonstrated the attitude of the Abkhaz to the "independent Georgia", in which radical nationalism and chauvinism became a state ideology, which soon after independence unleashed the war first in South Ossetia and then in Abkhazia.
It should be reminded to the leaders of Georgia that even during the existence of the so-called Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921), the 100th anniversary of which is celebrated this year in Tbilisi, the relations between the Abkhazians and Georgians were far unclouded. They were marred by cruel persecutions against the deputies of the Abkhaz People's Council, a national and political organization that sought the self-determination of the Abkhaz people, punitive operations of the DRG troops in Abkhazia, which ended, in effect, with the occupation of the country in 1918.
This negative historical background, as well as the experience of coexistence with Georgia during the Soviet period, convinced the people of Abkhazia of the need to create an independent state.
Ignoring of the "inconvenient" pages of history, hushing up or distorting certain events of the past has never led to positive results. It is impossible to adequately assess contemporary political realities without mastering the lessons of history and not drawing the appropriate conclusions from them.
Congratulating, in particular, "Abkhaz compatriots", Margvelashvili stated that "in 1991, in a referendum we together said that Georgia was an independent country".
Let us remind to the President of Georgia that at the referendum held on March 17, 1991, the Abkhaz and the majority of the Russian-speaking population of the Abkhaz ASSR supported the preservation of the USSR "as an updated federation of equal sovereign republics", whereas the Abkhazian population boycotted the referendum, organized on March 31 of the same year on the independence of Georgia.
It is obvious that the boycott of the referendum on March 31, 1991 convincingly demonstrated the attitude of the Abkhaz to the "independent Georgia", in which radical nationalism and chauvinism became a state ideology, which soon after independence unleashed the war first in South Ossetia and then in Abkhazia.
It should be reminded to the leaders of Georgia that even during the existence of the so-called Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921), the 100th anniversary of which is celebrated this year in Tbilisi, the relations between the Abkhazians and Georgians were far unclouded. They were marred by cruel persecutions against the deputies of the Abkhaz People's Council, a national and political organization that sought the self-determination of the Abkhaz people, punitive operations of the DRG troops in Abkhazia, which ended, in effect, with the occupation of the country in 1918.
This negative historical background, as well as the experience of coexistence with Georgia during the Soviet period, convinced the people of Abkhazia of the need to create an independent state.
Ignoring of the "inconvenient" pages of history, hushing up or distorting certain events of the past has never led to positive results. It is impossible to adequately assess contemporary political realities without mastering the lessons of history and not drawing the appropriate conclusions from them.