Georgian authorities paid tribute to the soldiers who died in the 2008 war.
The President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Mayor of Tbilisi were present at the Mukhatgverdi Cemetery, where war heroes are buried. Also, members of the Cabinet of Ministers and Georgian Dream MPs.
"We came here today to pay tribute to the fallen heroes who committed themselves to the territorial integrity of Georgia. They are among those Georgians who died for Georgia's independence.
I remember, over the years, how we believed so much in independence, when there was still the Soviet Union. Many assumed it was impossible. It is the same today. We may not see a specific path that will lead to the restoration of the country's territorial integrity, but that does not mean that this path does not exist. This way we must believe. This is exactly the day of trust in it. We have a lot of supporters, the international community has expressed its support. It has never been so firm before.
There will be a commemoration of Didgori in a few days, this is also the history of Georgia, which consists of victories and defeats, but it is moving forward. This country does not end there. We will all see the unification of Georgia. I want this day to be the day of the heroes whose devotion was a devotion to hope," - said Salome Zurabishvili.
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Russia launched a 5-day war against Georgia on August 7, 2008. However, the military escalation started in April of the same year and it had several reasons. One of them was the NATO Bucharest Summit, which provided that Georgia will become a member of NATO. Russia responded that it would do "anything to prevent Ukraine and Georgia from joining NATO."
However, representatives of the current Georgian ruling team do not think that the war was started by Russia on August 7, 2008. According to them, the war started on August 8, when former Georgian President Saakashvili opened fire on Russian troops.
A ceasefire agreement was signed on August 12, 2008, which Russia is still violating. The 6-point plan, among other things, stipulates that the Georgian military forces must withdraw to their normal bases of encampment. Though, this is impossible due to the Russian occupation regime. Russia continues its creeping occupation, laying barbed wire, seizing lands, goods of the population and even hijacks Georgian citizens.
As a result of the interventions of the Russian occupation forces, 228 Georgian civilians, 170 military and 14 policemen were killed. 150 thousand people have left their homes, most of them are still IDPs.
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