Georgian PM pays tribute to victims of Abkhazia war after transfer of remains

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday paid tribute to 16 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.

Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Government and Parliament officials joined a service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city, the Government Administration said.

The remains belong to seven combatants and nine 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 four combatants will be buried at the Dighomi Cemetery of Brothers, while other victims will be laid to rest at various locations, including family graveyards.

So far the remains of 621 people have been found, with 316 of them identified, under a coordination mechanism formed in 2010 with the purpose, while up to 2,000 people are still considered missing.