"The heart of our country has been occupied by Russia for fourteen years" - Prime Minister of Georgia on the August war
Garibashvili on the August war
“Fourteen years have passed since the August 2008 war, which claimed the lives of many of our countrymen. For fourteen years now, the heart of our country – Samachablo, the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia – has been occupied by Russia,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on the fourteenth anniversary of the August 2008 war.
The statement was published by the Prime Minister on his official Facebook page on August 8, at exactly 00:01.
Irakli Garibashvili wrote that he bows to the memory of the war’s heroes and the civilian population.
“We have chosen a peaceful, reasonable policy as a way to restore territorial integrity and unite the country, and we believe that we will definitely achieve our goal – Georgia will be united!”, Garibashvili declared in his statement.
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The prime minister’s statement was, however, criticized on social media. Not least because of a part of the statement seems to confuse the timeline of occupation: “Samachablo, the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia have been occupied for fourteen years.”
The war in Abkhazia happened in 1992-1993. Sukhumi fell 29 years ago, on September 27, 1993. In the 1990s there was conflict in South Ossetia.
“We are not dealing with ignorance, but probably with a deliberate falsification of history,” wrote one commenter.
“Fourteen years ago! Is he changing history now? Let’s fix that! Be ashamed for those 300,000 people who lost their homes 29 years ago, and the countless number of dead and tortured heroes!” – another commenter fulminated.
The timing of the announcement, August 8, also raised criticism. August 7 is considered the date of the beginning of the five-day war in 2008 – whereas August 8 is the Russian version of events. The current government of Georgia blames its predecessor, imprisoned President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement party, for starting the war, and thereby endorses the Russian version of the August war.
Even the EU Delegation to Georgia issued a statement on the fourteenth anniversary of the war on August 8.
On August 7, 2008, the protracted Russian-Georgian conflict escalated into open Russian military aggression which resulted in hundreds of casualties, ethnic cleansing and Russian occupation of two regions of Georgia.
● In the 2008 war, 412 Georgian soldiers and civilians were killed. Of Ossetians, 365 lost their lives, while 67 Russian soldiers were also killed.
● 20,000 ethnic Georgians have been displaced.
● Georgia has lost control over 125 villages in South Ossetia.
● Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
Garibashvili on the August war
