US diplomats present collective reading of Georgian poem on ‘tragic day’ of Soviet occupation
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan said that ‘today more than ever’ Georgia needs to be united in the face of Russian aggression.Photo: US Embassy press office.
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US diplomats in Georgia have presented a collective reading of a poem by Georgian author Kolau Nadiradze which is dedicated to Georgia’s Soviet occupation on this day, one hundred years ago.
The poem was published in 1985, but it speaks of the tragedy of the day when Georgians had their independence stolen from them by Moscow, and saw their country subsumed into the Soviet Union,” said US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan.
To commemorate the Soviet Occupation Day, the U.S. Embassy would like to present a collective reading of “25 February,” a poem by Kolau Nadiradze. https://t.co/zEzaVzgOWO
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) February 25, 2021
She stated that the poem symbolizes with ‘heartbreaking clarity’ the difficulties of living under Kremlin rule during the Soviet period for the ‘proud people of Georgia’.
Today, more than ever, we are reminded of how important a united Georgia is in the face of Russian aggression,” Degnan said.
The Georgian national flag is flying at half-staff at government buildings around the country today in remembrance of the thousands of ordinary citizens and soldiers who died in the battle against Soviet forces in 1921.