9 years after war, Russia continues occupying Georgia
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Tomorrow marks the ninth anniversary of the most tragic day in Georgia’s recent history – the beginning of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia on August 8 in 2008.
Although the physical confrontation started on August 8, developments started on the evening of August 7.
Today the Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the date, saying that nine years on from the war and Russia still continues its occupation and factual annexation of two Georgian regions, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia).
The statement said that illegal detentions take place along the occupation line on a daily basis; Georgian farmers are unable to reach their agricultural lands due to Russian-erected barbed-wire fences and other artificial obstacles; Georgian children are unable to get education in their native language in some Georgian schools in the occupied area.
"The Russian occupational regime tries to isolate people living in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region and purposefully prevents them from having any humanitarian contacts with the rest of Georgia and the world”, the statement read.
It added that despite all of this, Tbilisi is faithful to its policy of peace and tries to solve the conflict peacefully through diplomacy, negotiations and dialogue.
"Thanks to this rational and peaceful approach, despite of the above-mentioned hardest challenges, the government of Georgia has managed to ensure the sustainable democratic and economic development of the country, achieved stability and peace on its controlled territory and kept walking towards the European and Euro-Atlantic integration”, the statement read.
The Foreign Ministry also said that Georgia is grateful to all its international partners and appreciates their support the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The agency extended its condolences to the families and friends of the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
The Russia-Georgia war resulted in the death of 228 Georgian civilians, 170 soldiers and 14 police officers.
The war displaced 192,000 people in Georgia. Many were able to return to their homes after the war but several years since then and more than 20,200 people remain displaced.
Georgia’s Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance announced the four men, who had served at the Ministry’s Special Forces, would be awarded the Ministry’s highest award for Defending the Law and Honour.
Tbilisi calls for world unity in response to crisis
When the clock strikes midnight tonight, Georgia will mark the eighth anniversary of Russia’s aggression and occupation of Georgian territory, as a sovereign, independent state.
Today marks the eighth anniversary of the most tragic day in Georgia’s recent history – the beginning of the brief but violent August 8 war between Russia and Georgia. The country is remembering those who lost their lives to defend their homeland.
Georgia’s official leader is paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the Russia-Georgia War, which began six years ago today.
Today marks the ninth anniversary of the August 8 Russian invasion of Georgia and the country’s government and citizens are remembering those who lost their lives to defend their homeland.
A large group of Georgian citizens have formed a human chain to protest Russian occupation of Georgian territories. The protest took place near the occupation line.
Photographs from the frontlines of the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia are on display in Tbilisi through today to mark an anniversary of the five-day conflict and pay homage to the memory of its victims.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Abkhazia, one of the two Russian occupied regions of Georgia, Russian media report.
Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Ukraine have expressed their full support and solidarity for Georgia on the ninth anniversary of the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.
Georgia’s Minister of Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili says that occupied Tskhinvali’s hints about replacing the Georgian language with Russian at Akhalgori schools, is "another step within the policy of Russification”.
Georgia is today commemorating a group of heroes of the Russia-Georgia war who heroically sacrificed their lives in a ‘David and Goliath’ type battle that took place in Shindisi Village in central Georgia.
Georgia’s permanent representative to the UN Kaha Imnadze has briefed UN members on human rights and security situation in Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
The de-facto authorities of Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) have closed the administrative border separating the breakaway area from the rest of Georgia for two days.
The situation at the Russian occupied regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) was discussed at today’s meeting of ministers of the Council of Europe today.
The European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar is concerned about the death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili in the country’s Russian occupied Tskhinvali region. Klaar believes the upcoming Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting scheduled on March 1 is the right format to establish facts about the case.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will hold a hearing in the case Georgia v. Russia concerning the armed conflict between Georgia and the Russia in August 2008 and its aftermath.