Georgian PM, Gov’t members pay tribute to victims of Abkhazia war after transfer of remains

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Government members on Thursday paid tribute to 12 individuals who went missing during the 1992-1993 armed conflict in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, after their remains were transferred to the country’s capital of Tbilisi.

The remains belong to five combatants and seven civilians, who had been missing since the conflict, and were transferred in the latest phase of the joint efforts of the State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The PM, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Government officials joined a service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, the Government Administration said.

The combatants will be buried at the Dighomi Cemetery of Brothers, while the civilian victims will be laid to rest in family graveyards.