Georgian troops march at Ukraine’s independence day parade

Georgian officials and troops were among celebrating crowds in Kiev earlier today, as the Ukrainian capital marked 26 years of the country’s independence.

Within the annual ceremony for the Independence Day of Ukraine, marked on August 24, a platoon of the National Guard of Georgia marched of the city’s central avenue.

They were part of the multinational representation for the occasion that also included troops from the United Kingdom and Estonia, along with Ukraine’s other partner states.

Warm congratulations to #Ukraine on #IndependenceDay. We admire your courage&determination in securing freedom&independence for your country

— Giorgi Kvirikashvili (@KvirikashviliGi) August 24, 2017

Georgia’s official representation at the occasion was led by First Deputy Minister of Defence Lela Chikovani, who observed the parade along with representatives from her ministry.

Chikovani told the ministry press office the participation in the event reflected the "support for the Ukrainian government and our standing together”.

The National Guard unit was selected for taking part in the celebrations by Georgia’s defence minister Levan Izoria.

Izoria himself could not be present in Kiev due to his participation in the ongoing efforts against the forest fire in Borjomi Gorge.

Warm congratulations to #Ukraine on its #IndependenceDay! Wishing peace & prosperity to our dear friends! pic.twitter.com/9AsQt0Bywa

— MFA of Georgia (@MFAgovge) August 24, 2017

The people and government of Ukraine also received goodwill messages on their national day from Georgian officials via Twitter today.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended tweets of support to Georgia’s partner country via the online platform.

Ukraine gained independence from the disintegrating Soviet Union on August 24, 1991, when the parliament of the republic approved the Declaration of Independence of the country.

Since the historic event the governments of Georgia and Ukraine have established close ties and become part of the Eastern Partnership program with the European Union.

The two countries also share common security threats following the occupation of parts of their territory by the Russian military, in 2008 in Georgia and 2014 in Ukraine.