Ruling party official: Gov’t’s “pragmatic” policy serves to restore territorial integrity
Kaladze noted reintegration of the occupied territories would “need to happen through the country’s development, common sense and economic progress”. Photo: Tbilisi City Hall
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Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the “pragmatic” policy of the Government served to restore the territorial integrity of the country, in comments over the 31st anniversary of the 1992-1993 war in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region.
Kaladze noted reintegration of the occupied territories would “need to happen through the country’s development, common sense and economic progress”.
It is a very difficult day in the history of Georgia, [the date] when the war started and we lost territories. We had a lot of people killed - civilians and soldiers. We received citizens of our country who became [internal] refugees”, he noted.
“[T]he pragmatic policy that the Georgian Government has adopted - [it] is important for us to win each other back”, Kaladze told the local media.
Today, the most important thing is to restore the territorial integrity of the country. It is no coincidence that the first thing written in [Georgia’s] constitution is the restoration of territorial integrity. We must do all this not with war and strife, but with development, wisdom, education, and economic progress. I think we can win each other back”, he concluded.
The Abkhazia war began on August 14, 1992 and lasted for 13 months and 13 days, ending with the loss of the capital of Abkhazia, Sokhumi, on September 27, 1993, to separatist forces backed by militants from the North Caucasus and the Russian troops stationed in the region.
The conflict saw the sides negotiate a ceasefire in September 1992 which was broken by the Abkhaz and Russian forces a month later. The ceasefire that ended the conflict was signed in December 1993.
In August 2008, following a five-day war between Russia and Georgia, the Russian Government recognised the independence of Abkhazia, with the Georgian Parliament declaring it a Russian-occupied region of the country two days later - a view shared by the international community.