Parliament Speaker leads tribute after remains of individuals missing in Abkhazia war transferred

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and members of the legislative body on Wednesday paid tribute to individuals who had been missing since the 1990s war in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region and whose remains were transferred to Tbilisi.

The MPs joined a public funeral service in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city for the 20 individuals whose remains were transferred in the latest stage of the ongoing process of searching for persons missing following the 1992-1993 conflict, the Parliament said.

The remains of six civilians and 14 combatants were transferred with joint efforts of the Georgian State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Five of the combatants will be buried with military honours, while the remains of the other individuals will be laid to rest at family cemeteries by the decision of their relatives, the State Service of Veterans Affairs said.

Remains of 601 persons have been found in the search efforts over the past decade, of which 265 have been transferred to the Government-controlled territory, the Service noted.

It added 2,029 combatants and civilians were still missing, with work ongoing to locate, identify and return them to their families.