Georgian President wishes Happy New year to family behind barbed wire fence
Tweet 
Share
Georgian President Giorgi Margevlashvili went to the occupation line between Georgia and its Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) to send New Year wishes to a family living behind the barbed wire fence.
The occupation line isolates the house of Davit Vanishvili and his family from the rest of the village of Khurvaleti, preventing them from freely moving along the village and sometimes even from buying food.
Davit Vanishvili stands behind the barbed wire fence erected by Russian border guards. Photo by President's press office
Wishing Vanishvili and other locals of the village peace and unity, President Margvelashvili said the occupation is temporary.
Whenever I arrive here, I always feel hope for the future… This barbed wire fence will be demolished peacefully, through the unity of every Georgian citizen”, Margvelashvili said.
The barbed wire fence cannot ever be crossed under any circumstances. A lot of people, including world leaders visit the Vanishvili family at the barbed wire fence every year.
The pictures show Davit Vanishvili holding hands with the President on different occasions. Photo by President's press office
President Margvelashvili gathered the photos of Vanishvili and the Presidents of those countries who have ever visited the family, united them in one photo album and gave to Vanishvili together with other New Year presents.
The village of Khurvaleti borders Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), one of Georgia’s two breakaway regions, which was the epicenter of the short but deadly Russia-Georgia war in August 2008.
President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, together with her Georgian counterpart Giorgi Margvelashvili, has visited the occupation line that divides Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) from the rest of Georgia.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko visited the occupation line in Georgia’s eastern Khurvaleti village, located near the country’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.Poroshenko viewed the area with Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili early in the morning and stressed the line was a "gap between past and future.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin visited a family living behind a barbed wire fence near the Russian-occupied region of Georgia - Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) this weekend.
Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis visited a family living behind a barbed wire fence near Russian-occupied region of Georgia - Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) today.
Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II has expressed his warm wishes to the nation on the New Year and wished everyone happiness.
The Russian Federation continues its military occupation and illegal militarisation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), thus destabilising the situation in the entire region and violating the fundamental rights of the local population, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Dondua said.
A Georgian citizen has been detained near the occupation line between Georgia and its Russian occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) for allegedly crossing the so-called border. Genadi Bestaev, 50, who lives in Zardiantkari village of Gori region near Tskhinvali now faces two months in prison.