Belavezha Accords
Encyclopedia
The Belavezha Accords is the agreement which declared the Soviet Union
effectively dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States
in its place. It was signed at the state dacha
near Viskuli
in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on December 8, 1991, by the leaders of Belarus
, Russia, and Ukraine
.
, and Leonid Kravchuk
) of three of the fifteen soviet republics to dissolve the Union, according to Article 72 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution
, Soviet republics had the right to secede freely from the Union. On December 12, 1991 the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR ratified the accords on behalf of Russia and at the same time denounced the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union.
These attempts to dissolve the Soviet Union were seen as illegal by the Soviet Federal Government. Gorbachev himself described the moves thus:
All doubts relating to the legal dissolution of the Soviet Union were removed on December 21, 1991, when the representatives of all Soviet republics except Georgia and the three Baltic states, including those republics that had signed the Belavezha Accords, signed the Alma-Ata Protocol
, which confirmed the dismemberment and consequential extinction of the Soviet Union and restated the establishment of the CIS. Given that fourteen out of fifteen republics now exercised the constitutional right of secession and agreed with the extinction of the Union, the plurality of member-republics required for the Union's continued existence as a federal State ceased to be in place. The summit of Alma-Ata also agreed on several other practical measures consequential to the extinction of the Union.
However, for four more days a Soviet Federal Government continued to exist, and Mikhail Gorbachev continued to hold control over the Kremlin as President of the Soviet Union. This ended in the early hours of December 25, 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev
resigned as the President of the Soviet Union
and turned control of the Kremlin and the remaining powers of his office over to the office of the president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin
, thus accepting termination of the Soviet Federal Government and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
.
Gorbachev's televised resignation speech and the subsequent lowering of the flag of the Soviet Union
and hoisting of the flag of Russia
on the flagpole in front of the Kremlin was broadcast around the world. On this day, President of the United States
George H.W. Bush, a former head of the CIA, gave a short speech on national TV in the United States
to commemorate the ending of the Cold War
and to recognize the independence of the former states of the Soviet Union.
Also on December 25, 1991, the Russian SFSR, now no longer a sub-national entity of the Soviet Union but a sovereign Nation State, adopted a law renaming itself Russian Federation.
The following day, December 26, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, formally the highest governmental body of the Soviet Union, recognized the collapse of the Union and dissolved itself, an event that marked the final step in the extinction of the Soviet Union.
The Summit of Alma-Ata also issued a statement on December 21, 1991 supporting Russia's claim to be recognized as the successor state of the Soviet Union for the purposes of membership of the United Nations. On December 25, 1991, Russian President Yeltsin informed the UN Secretary General
that the Soviet Union had been dissolved and that Russia would, as its successor State, continue the Soviet Union's membership in the United Nations. The document confirmed the credentials of the representatives of the Soviet Union as representatives of Russia, and requested that the name "Soviet Union" be changed to "Russian Federation" in all records and entries. This was a move designed to allow Russia to retain the Soviet Union's Security Council seat, which wouldn't have been possible if all States resulting from the breakup of the Union were regarded equal successors of the Soviet Union, or if it was regarded as having no successor State for the purpose of continuing the same UN membership. (see Russia and the United Nations). The Secretary General circulated the request, and there being no objection from any Member State, the Russian Federation took the Soviet Union's UN seat. On January 31, 1992, Russian Federation President Yeltsin personally took part in a Security Council meeting as representative of Russia, the first Security Council meeting in which Russia, as successor State, occupied the permanent Security Council seat assigned by the UN Charter to the Soviet Union.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
effectively dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
in its place. It was signed at the state dacha
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
near Viskuli
Viskuli
Viskuli is hunting estate in Belavezhskaya Pushcha forest, in Pruzhany Raion, Brest Voblast, Belarus, named after the former khutor Viskuli nearby, about 8km from the Poland-Belarus border, 2km south of Belarus Route P81....
in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on December 8, 1991, by the leaders of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Russia, and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Transliteration
The name is variously transliterated as Belavezh Accords, Belovezh Accords, Belovezha Accords, Belavezha Agreement, Belovezhskaya Accord, Belaya Vezha Accord, etc.Legal basis and ratification
While doubts remained over the authority of the leaders (Stanislav Shushkevich, Boris YeltsinBoris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, and Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
) of three of the fifteen soviet republics to dissolve the Union, according to Article 72 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution
1977 Soviet Constitution
At the Seventh Session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Ninth Convocation on October 7, 1977, the third and last Soviet Constitution, also known as the "Brezhnev Constitution", was unanimously adopted...
, Soviet republics had the right to secede freely from the Union. On December 12, 1991 the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR ratified the accords on behalf of Russia and at the same time denounced the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union.
These attempts to dissolve the Soviet Union were seen as illegal by the Soviet Federal Government. Gorbachev himself described the moves thus:
...The fate of the multinational state cannot be determined by the will of the leaders of three republics. The question should be decided only by constitutional means with the participation of all sovereign states and taking into account the will of all their citizens. The statement that Unionwide legal norms would cease to be in effect is also illegal and dangerous; it can only worsen the chaos and anarchy in society. The hastiness with which the document appeared is also of serious concern. It was not discussed by the populations nor by the Supreme Soviets of the republics in whose name it was signed. Even worse, it appeared at the moment when the draft treaty for a Union of Sovereign States, drafted by the USSR State Council, was being discussed by the parliaments of the republics.
All doubts relating to the legal dissolution of the Soviet Union were removed on December 21, 1991, when the representatives of all Soviet republics except Georgia and the three Baltic states, including those republics that had signed the Belavezha Accords, signed the Alma-Ata Protocol
Alma-Ata Protocol
The Alma-Ata Protocols are the founding declarations and principles of the Commonwealth of Independent States. It was signed soon after the Belavezha Accords on 21 December 1991, between the states of Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and...
, which confirmed the dismemberment and consequential extinction of the Soviet Union and restated the establishment of the CIS. Given that fourteen out of fifteen republics now exercised the constitutional right of secession and agreed with the extinction of the Union, the plurality of member-republics required for the Union's continued existence as a federal State ceased to be in place. The summit of Alma-Ata also agreed on several other practical measures consequential to the extinction of the Union.
However, for four more days a Soviet Federal Government continued to exist, and Mikhail Gorbachev continued to hold control over the Kremlin as President of the Soviet Union. This ended in the early hours of December 25, 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
resigned as the President of the Soviet Union
President of the Soviet Union
The President of the Soviet Union , officially called President of the USSR was the Head of State of the USSR from 15 March 1990 to 25 December 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev was the only person to occupy the office. Gorbachev was also General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between...
and turned control of the Kremlin and the remaining powers of his office over to the office of the president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, thus accepting termination of the Soviet Federal Government and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
.
Gorbachev's televised resignation speech and the subsequent lowering of the flag of the Soviet Union
Flag of the Soviet Union
The flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain red flag, with a setting or cross-peen hammer crossed with a sickle and a red star in the upper canton...
and hoisting of the flag of Russia
Flag of Russia
The flag of Russia is a tricolour flag of three equal horizontal fields, white on the top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The flag was first used as an ensign for Russian merchant and war ships and only became official in 1896...
on the flagpole in front of the Kremlin was broadcast around the world. On this day, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H.W. Bush, a former head of the CIA, gave a short speech on national TV in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to commemorate the ending of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and to recognize the independence of the former states of the Soviet Union.
Also on December 25, 1991, the Russian SFSR, now no longer a sub-national entity of the Soviet Union but a sovereign Nation State, adopted a law renaming itself Russian Federation.
The following day, December 26, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, formally the highest governmental body of the Soviet Union, recognized the collapse of the Union and dissolved itself, an event that marked the final step in the extinction of the Soviet Union.
The Summit of Alma-Ata also issued a statement on December 21, 1991 supporting Russia's claim to be recognized as the successor state of the Soviet Union for the purposes of membership of the United Nations. On December 25, 1991, Russian President Yeltsin informed the UN Secretary General
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully...
that the Soviet Union had been dissolved and that Russia would, as its successor State, continue the Soviet Union's membership in the United Nations. The document confirmed the credentials of the representatives of the Soviet Union as representatives of Russia, and requested that the name "Soviet Union" be changed to "Russian Federation" in all records and entries. This was a move designed to allow Russia to retain the Soviet Union's Security Council seat, which wouldn't have been possible if all States resulting from the breakup of the Union were regarded equal successors of the Soviet Union, or if it was regarded as having no successor State for the purpose of continuing the same UN membership. (see Russia and the United Nations). The Secretary General circulated the request, and there being no objection from any Member State, the Russian Federation took the Soviet Union's UN seat. On January 31, 1992, Russian Federation President Yeltsin personally took part in a Security Council meeting as representative of Russia, the first Security Council meeting in which Russia, as successor State, occupied the permanent Security Council seat assigned by the UN Charter to the Soviet Union.
Signators
- Boris YeltsinBoris YeltsinBoris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
(1931-2007) — the President of Russia (1991-1999) - Gennady BurbulisGennady BurbulisGennady Eduardovich Burbulis isa Russian politician. A close associate of Boris Yeltsin, he held several high positions in the first Russian government, including Secretary of State, and was one of the drafters and signers of the Belavezha Accords on behalf of Russia...
(born 1945) — the State Secretary of Russia (1991-1992) - Leonid KravchukLeonid KravchukLeonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
(born 1934) — the President of UkrainePresident of UkrainePrior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
(1991-1994) - Vitold FokinVitold FokinVitold Pavlovych Fokin , the son of a teacher, was appointed first deputy prime minister of Ukraine in November 1991....
(born 1932) — the Prime Minister of UkrainePrime Minister of UkraineThe Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
(1991-1992) - Stanislau Shushkevich (born 1934) — the Chairman of Supreme Soviet of Belarus (1991-1994)
- Vyachaslau KebichVyachaslau KebichVyachaslau Frantsavich Kebich is a political figure from Belarus. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, serving from 1991 until 1994, having held the equivalent office of the Byelorussian SSR since 1990. Kebich was also one of two candidates in the final running for President...
(born 1936) — the Prime Minister of Belarus (1991-1994)
See also
- Dissolution of the Soviet UnionDissolution of the Soviet UnionThe dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
- Union Treaty of 1922Treaty on the Creation of the USSRThe Treaty on the Creation of the USSR is a document that legalized the creation of a union of several Soviet republics in the form of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics...
, this was denounced by Belavezha Accords.
External links
- Soviet Leaders Recall ‘Inevitable’ Breakup Of Soviet Union, Radio Free EuropeRadio Free EuropeRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
, 8 December 2006 - 14 Years of Belavezha Accords’ Signing
- map location