We, the parliamentary delegations of the Abkhazia, Pridnestrovie and South Ossetia in the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth for Democracy and Rights of Nations, on behalf of our people,

- Guided by the universally accepted principles and standards of international law and by the Constitutions of the Republic of Abkhazia, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica and the Republic of South Ossetia;

- Respecting and recognizing the right of all peoples to equal rights and self-determination,

- Remaining committed to the values that form the basis of our nations: freedom, equality and harmony;

- Thanking deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for a coherent and balanced policy of supporting compatriots abroad;

Hereby declare that:

- The principle of international law about equal rights and self-determination of nations is one of the cornerstones of world justice and the most significant aspect of self-identification of a nation as an international legal entity. Ignoring this puts in peril the stability and security of the international system;

- The Republic of Abkhazia, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica and the Republic of South Ossetia were created freely and voluntarily by the people living on its territories, in strict compliance with the universally recognized principles and norms of international law; they maintain their desire to continue to live as independent states, and to build and strengthen these states, as confirmed by our people in national referenda;

- Actions by the leadership of Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, undertaken over the past years, show a pattern of violence against the citizens of our republics, which is inadmissible and contrary to the universally accepted principles and standards of international law, as well as to the previously signed agreements on the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz, Georgian-Ossetic and Moldovan-Pridnestrovie conflicts.

Based on the above, we call upon the international community to recognize the results of our nations' referenda and build relations with the Republic of Abkhazia, the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica and the Republic of South Ossetia as independent, sovereign nations and equal subjects of international-legal relations.

18 December 2006