Georgia Marks Independence Day

Georgia marked its Independence Day on May 26 with series of festivities and various outdoor events in Tbilisi and twenty five other towns across the country. There was no army parade, but military component was still present as military equipment, including battle tanks, armored vehicles and various armaments, were deployed in downtown Tbilisi and number of other towns for public display. President Saakashvili was not in the country on the Independence Day for the first time in his presidency; he marked the day with Georgian troops in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. PM Ivanishvili congratulated citizens on the Independence Day with a televised address.