ESTABLISHMENT OF SOUTH OSSETIA'S STATEHOOD CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

1783 - The Georgievski Treaty is signed according to which Kartli-Kakheti(Eastern Georgia) goes over under Russia's protectorate.

1881 - Eastern Georgia is joined to Russia.

X1Xc.- 1917 -South Ossetia is a constituent part of different 'gubernias' of the Russian state.

26 May 1918 - The Georgian Democratic Republic is proclaimed.

1918 - Six Congresses of South Ossetia's representatives are held (The Ossetian National Council), which confirm the people's will to remain within Russia. The people of South Ossetia refuse to be subordinated to the separatist and menshevik government of Georgia.

June 1920 - A genocide is launched against South Ossetians by the Georgian authorities. Over five thousand people lose their lives, others are driven out to North Ossetia.

25 February 1921 - Soviet power is established in Georgia.

4 March 1921 - Soviet power is established in South Ossetia. Formation of new organs of power. Refugees begin to return from North Ossetia.

20 April 1922 - The Ossetian Autonomous Oblast is established and included in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

1988 - A policy is carried on directed at securing the Georgian nation's priority in all spheres of the community's life. An idea is instilled in the people's minds about seceding from Russia. Infringements begin on the rights and interests of non-Georgian nationals.

Summer-Autumn 1988 - Georgia's informal organizations launch an active anti-Ossetian campaign through the mass media. Violent insults are voiced about the South Ossetians, and the idea that Ossetians are 'new-comers 'and 'guests' on the Georgian land is popularized. South Ossetia is nicknamed 'the so called South Ossetia' and the term 'Samachablo' is brought into wide use to replace 'South Ossetia'.

15 JULY - Start of the armed Georgian-Abhaz conflict and a new round of calls for and steps to abolish the autonomous formations.

20 September - The draft laws are published of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic 'On Alterations in and Amendments to the Constitution( Basic Law) of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic', 'On Election Rules of People's Deputies of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic,' 'On Election Rules of People's Deputies of the Local Soviets of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic' where the rights of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast are significantly cut down as regards the right of making alterations of the boundaries of its territory, the right to perform regional division , the right to display legislative initiative , the right to exercise the veto etc. The drafts are widely discussed in South Ossetia. A commission is established under the Executive Committee of the SOA Oblast designed to work out proposals on the Draft Laws.

26 September - The X1-th Session of the Oblast Soviet of People's Deputies approves the 'Proposals on Alterations in and Amendments to the Draft Constitution of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic' as initiated by the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast which are ultimately disregarded by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Republic.

10 November - Forced by the increasing infringement on the rights of the autonomous Oblast and in order to support its status constitutionally the People's Deputies of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast decide, at their X1-th Session, to transform the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast into an autonomous republic within Georgia and appeal to the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic for the consideration of this proposal.

(By this time the question of seceding from the USSR was already risen and nearly all autonomous Oblasts lifted their status to a republic.

16 November - The Presidium of the GSSR's Supreme Soviet cancels the decision without giving it a prior legal assessment and terming it 'unconstitutional' although the question is solely in the Supreme Soviet's competence. Not one representative of South Ossetia is invited to attend the sitting of the Presidium, even the deputies of the GSSR's Supreme Soviet from South Ossetia.

17-18 November - A Commission is established at the Session of the GSSR's Supreme Soviet, to study questions raised in connection with the status of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. At the same Session, the Law is adopted of the GSSR "On Alterations in and Amendments to the Constitution (The Basic Law) of the GSSR" in which South Ossetia's proposals are disregarded.

9 March - The resolution is adopted by the Extraordinary Session of the Georgian Supreme Soviet 'On Guarantees of Georgia's State Sovereignty Protection'. The 1922 Treaty of the establishment of the USSR is announced unlawful and invalid as regards Georgia.

3 April - The USSR Law is passed 'On the Rules of Secession of Union Republics from the USSR' according to which, in case of a Union Republic's secession from the USSR, it is up to the autonomous formations within the republic themselves to decide whether to remain within the USSR or not.

26 April - The USSR Law is passed 'On Differentiation of Authorities between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Subjects of the Federation.

20 June - The XV1-th Extraordinary Session of the Supreme Council of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic declares all the legal acts adopted after the establishment of Soviet Power in Georgia in 1921 as not serving the interests of Georgia and unlawful. (Thus, on Georgia's territory the laws become invalid under which South Ossetia was a part of Georgia, as the autonomous Oblast was established in April 1922.).The Session also rejects the laws of the Soviet Union 'On the Rules of Secession of Union Republics from the USSR' and 'On Differentiating Authorities between the USSR and the Federation's subjects.'

10 August - The 'Declaration of Sovereignty of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast' is adopted by the X111-th Session of the South Ossetian Soviet of People's Deputies in the first reading.

20 September - The X1V-th Session of South Ossetia's Oblast Soviet decides to transform the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast into the South Ossetian Soviet Democratic Republic. A Declaration on national sovereignty and a resolution on the functioning of the USSR's Constitution on the territory of South Ossetia are adopted.

28 September - Elections are held to Georgia's Supreme Soviet, Zviad Gamsahurdia elected Chairman of the parliament.

16 October - The XV (1) Session of South Ossetia's Oblast Soviet adopts another Declaration on its Sovereignty and schedules South Ossetia's parliamentary elections for December 9 1990.

23 November - The Session of Georgia's Supreme Soviet adopts an appeal to M. Gorbachev, USSR's President containing a refusal to sign the new Union Treaty.

28 November - The XV1-th (11) Extraordinary Session of the Soviet of the People's Deputies of South Ossetia once again confirms the status of the Republic of South Ossetia, its strife for becoming an independent subject with the right of signing the new Union Treaty.

November-early December - Questions are put before the USSR's President, the USSR's Supreme Soviet, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, Ministry of Justice, the Procurature and the USSR's State Committee for Nationalities by the plenipotentiary representatives of People's Deputies of South Ossetia concerning South Ossetia's participation in the elaboration of and signing the renewed Union Treaty, establishment of a special commission consisting of People's Deputies of South Ossetia with the aim of studying the situation that arose in South Ossetia , of checking the correctness of all the laws and resolutions passed in Georgia and South Ossetia during 1988-1990, and their correspondence to the USSR's Constitution.

9 December - Elections are held to the Supreme Soviet of the South Ossetian Republic with 72% of the voters taking part (Including the Georgian constituencies and those where the elections were boycotted).

11 December - The law is passed 'On the Abolition of South Ossetia's Autonomy' at the Session of Georgia's Supreme Soviet with relevant changes to be made in the Constitution of Georgia.

December 13 - The Session of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of South Ossetia adopts an appeal to the 1V-th Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR for the purpose of:

1. recognizing the Georgian law 'On the Abolition of the autonomy of South Ossetia' as invalid 2.

3. recognizing the South Ossetian Soviet Republic as a subject of the Federation with the right of signing the new Union Treaty. 4.

6 January 1991 - Start of an open military aggression by Georgia against South Ossetia.

7 January - The decree of the USSR's President is published 'On Certain Legal Acts Adopted by the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990.'

9 January - While speaking at the Special Session of the Supreme Soviet of Georgia Zviad Gamsahurdia calls for an open war with Russia on the ground that Russia's President supposedly 'interfered into Georgia's internal affairs'. He also calls for the deputies to disobey the decree by the USSR's President and appeals to the Georgian people to defend the Georgian land from the 'aggressors-Ossetians and Russians'.

January 18 - The adoption and strict implementation of the Decree by the President of the USSR is approved at the Session of the People's Deputies and, with the purpose of preventing further bloodshed, an appeal is made to the President for the introduction of a state of emergency on the whole of South Ossetia's territory, to be performed by the Internal Ministry of the USSR.

March 31 - The 111-d Extraordinary Congress of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic adopts a Resolution on the situation in South Ossetia. On that day a referendum is held in Georgia on Georgia's secession from the USSR. No referendum is held in South Ossetia.

4 May - The Meeting of All-level People's Deputies of South Ossetia, in fulfillment of the Decree of January 7, 1991 by the USSR's President and in the hope of understanding on the part of Georgia, repeatedly adopts a resolution on restoring the former infrastructures. But the step is completely ignored by the Georgian parliament. No attention is paid to it by the USSR's President either.The Meeting also appeals to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for recognizing South Ossetia as an independent subject of the Union Treaty.

1 September - At the request of all population sections of South Ossetia the Session of the Soviet of People's Deputies decides to cancel the resolution by the Meeting of All-level Deputies of May 4, 1991 as being legally incompetent and having failed to stabilize the situation. The Session adopts an Appeal to the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation and to B. Yeltzin, Russia's President for the consideration of the question of reunification with Russia as a historically justified legal act.

24 October - The Session of People's Deputies adopts an Appeal to the V-th Congress of the Russian Federation with the request of recognizing South Ossetia's de jure reunification with Russia regarding the complete lack of legal grounds for the separation of Ossetia into two parts and basing on the results of the March 17, 1991 Referendum which showed the South Ossetians' bent for Russia.

End of December - The Belovezh Treaty is signed .The USSR disintegrated.

19 January, 1992 - A referendum is held in South Ossetia to establish an independent state and to reunite with Russia. Over 99% vote in favour. Observers from both the former autonomous formations and sovereign republics are present.

30 March - An Appeal to the V1-th Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation on extending Russia's sovereignty over the territory of South Ossetia and granting Russian citizenship to its population is adopted by the Supreme Soviet of South Ossetia. The Appeal is made public at the Congress by T. Kulumbegov, Chairman of South Ossetia's Supreme Soviet.

29 May - The session of South Ossetia's Supreme Soviet passes 'The Act of Independence of South Ossetia.'

24 June - B.Yeltzin, Russia's President and Georgia's leader E.Shevardnadze sign an agreement on the principles of the Georgian- Ossetian conflict resolution (the Dagomys Agreement).

14 July - Peacekeeping forces are introduced in South Ossetia.

March 1994 - In Vladikavkaz, the first official meeting takes place of representatives of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Georgia.

11 November 1996 - Presidential elections are held in South Ossetia.

12 May 1999 - Parliamentary elections of the fourth convocation are held in South Ossetia.

8 April 2001 - A nation-wide adoption of the Constitution (the Basic Law) takes place.

18 November - Presidential elections in the Republic of South Ossetia held.

5 June 2004 - The Parliament of the Republic of South Ossetia adopts an appeal to the Russian Federation's State Duma with a request of recognizing the Republic of South Ossetia's independence. up back