Gov’t moves to abolish administration created on territory of former South Ossetian Autonomous District, says Georgian Parliament Speaker

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the legislative body would consider an initiative to abolish the administration established on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that the issue would be reviewed at today’s bureau sitting, adding that the decision was reached following consultations with the Government.

The Speaker recalled that, under the United National Movement (UNM) Government, unconstitutional elections were held in the Tskhinvali region, resulting in the announcement of a so-called “President of South Ossetia” and the formation of an “alternative government of South Ossetia”.

He argued that these actions indirectly legitimised separatist processes and ultimately contributed to the circumstances that enabled the 2008 Russian military aggression and the occupation of the historical region of Samachablo.

“From today’s perspective, it is clear that these decisions were part of a geopolitical game driven by external forces, in which Georgia was assigned the role of a ‘sacrificial pawn’. The policies carried out by Saakashvili escalated tensions in the region and eventually led the country to war. In this context, members of Parliament assessed this decision as a blatant betrayal of Georgia’s national interests, which is reflected in the constitutional lawsuit seeking to declare the UNM unconstitutional. It must be stressed that at a time when Georgia has spent years strengthening its non-recognition policy [of the Russian-occupied territories], even the indirect use of the term ‘South Ossetia’ by the UNM regime was, from the outset, a violation of the Constitution and a betrayal of national interests”, the Speaker noted.

“There is no such entity as ‘South Ossetia’ in the Georgian legal or political space. Therefore, following consultations with the Government, we have decided to abolish the ‘administration of the administrative-territorial unit created on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District’. It should also be emphasised that the Akhalgori, Kurta, Tighvi and Eredvi municipalities - which were elected in full compliance with the Constitution in 2006 - will continue functioning. These municipalities are the only legitimately elected and operating authorities in the Tskhinvali region and represent the sole lawful continuation of Georgia’s constitutional and legal framework”, Papuashvili concluded.