Flags at half-mast across Georgia to mark 30th anniversary of fall of capital of occupied Abkhazia
The move is intended to commemorate the 1993 date and honour the memory of those killed during the conflict. Photo: Government Administration
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Flags on state institutions across Georgia were on Wednesday lowered to half-mast to mark an anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia during the war in the region in 1993.
The move is intended to commemorate the 1993 date and honour the memory of those killed during the conflict.
The armed conflict in Abkhazia began on August 14, 1992 and ended on September 27, 1993 with the fall of regional capital Sokhumi, after the Abkhaz side violated a ceasefire agreement between the sides on July 27, 1993 and launched an assault on the city on September 16, after the Georgian side had withdrawn most of its defences as per the agreement.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said peace was “the foundation upon which a united, strong and developed country should be built” together with the “Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers”, in comments marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia during the war in the region in 1993.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said restoring the territorial integrity of the country was the “main national task” of the Government, in comments over the 31st anniversary of the 1992-1993 war in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia region.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the Government was pursuing development to “achieve the cherished goal of building a united and strong Georgia” together with compatriots in the Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions, in comments marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the 1990s armed conflict in the former.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the members of his Government on Wednesday paid tribute to nine Georgian heroes who went missing during the 1992-93 armed conflict in Georgia’s Russia-occupied region of Abkhazia and whose remains had been transferred from the occupied region.
The remains of 13 people who went missing during the 1992–93 armed conflict in Georgia’s Russia-occupied Abkhazia region have been identified and returned to their families. It was possible to identify the bodies of eight military servicemen and five civilians through the joint efforts of the Georgian State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Monuments of Zhiuli Shartava and Guram Gabeskiria, former officials who were killed by Abkhaz separatist groups in 1993, will be placed in Tbilisi, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has stated earlier today.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said his country had demonstrated “great and unexpected progress for many” over the past 30 years despite “severe” security challenges, in comments on an anniversary of the 1993 fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia, during the war in the region.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday highlighted there was “no alternative to peace”, in comments marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, the capital of the Russian-occupied north-western region of Abkhazia during the war in the region in 1993.
The top official visited the memorial with Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and Government officials, the Government press office said.