Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Monday reacted to a fire in National Gallery in the capital city of Sokhumi in the country’s Russian-occupied north-western Abkhazia region by placing the blame on “neglect” of cultural heritage in the region by the de facto authorities and Russian occupation forces.
Calling the destruction of nearly the entire vault of artwork in the gallery on Sunday a “tragedy”, Zourabichvili called on the international community to draw attention to the protection of Georgian cultural heritage in the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions.
The fire that destroyed Sokhumi’s National Gallery in occupied #Abkhazia is a tragedy for us all. I deplore what is a direct consequence of the neglect of cultural identity both by the de facto leadership and the Russian occupants
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 22, 2024
Only about 150 out of 4,000 artworks survived the fire at the venue, the de facto authorities said on Monday.
The gallery was established in 1963 by the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, at the time of the central Georgian Government's sovereignty over the region under the Soviet Union.
I call on the international community to revive its attention to the protection of our cultural heritage in the occupied territories
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 22, 2024
Russia recognised the two Georgian regions of Georgia as independent states after its 2008 war with Georgia.
Only Venezuela, Nikaragua, Nauru and Syria have joined the stance so far, while the rest of the international community urges Moscow to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory.