“The most dramatic event of our recent history, the conflict between brothers brought unjustified destruction, made hundreds of thousands of people displaced in their homeland…,” Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili wrote on Facebook on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the start of hostilities in Abkhazia.
He also noted that the war “claimed the lives of many of our fellow citizens, soldiers, and civilians on both sides” and paid tribute to the memory of each of them.
“I deeply believe that our policy focused on peace, mutual respect, and dialogue brings closer the day when together with our Abkhaz and Ossetian brothers, we will continue to build a united, strong, peaceful, democratic state, which will create all the conditions for the security, well-being, preservation, and strengthening of each citizen’s identity,” the PM emphasized.
On 14 August, Lia Gigauri, the Deputy Minister of Reconciliation and Civic Equality, laid a wreath at the memorial for the heroes who died in the struggle for the unity of Georgia. Deputy Defense Minister Grigol Giorgadze and chairperson of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia Ruslan Abashidze were also present with him.
“August 14 is a particularly difficult day for all of Georgia, Abkhazians, and Georgians. On this day, we will once again honor the memory of the heroes who died during those events, who sacrificed themselves to fight for the unity of the motherland,” said Deputy Minister Gigauri.
According to the Deputy Minister, “it is especially important that today we remember how significant it is that each of us must do everything in order to achieve our goals in relation to the unification of Georgia only through peaceful, trust-building and reconciliation so that such tragedies never happen again.”
The Deputy Defense Minister meanwhile, emphasized, “it is our duty, on the basis of consistent, peaceful policy to achieve reconciliation and, together with our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers and sisters, to be able to build a united, strong, democratic Georgia.”
“Russia continues the illegal occupation of the indivisible territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region of Georgia for years, ignoring international law and obligations under the ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008,” Abashidze wrote on Facebook.
He also underscored that “the population remaining in the occupied regions are victims of permanent ethnic discrimination by banning education in their native language and restricting free movement.”
“Despite Russia’s provocative steps, the Georgian government firmly adheres to the policy of peaceful settlement of the conflict… We share the opportunities opened for Georgia by the European agenda with the population living beyond the occupation line,” Abashidze said.
He added that “We believe that we will be able to de-occupy our country only through peaceful actions and peaceful policies.”
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