Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgia’s history of wars shows importance of preserving peace

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Sunday that Georgia’s history of wars and conflicts demonstrates the importance of preserving peace, arguing that the country’s current period of continuous peace has created conditions for development.

Papuashvili made the remarks on the anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, as Georgia commemorated the soldiers and civilians who died during the war in Abkhazia.

“On the anniversary of the fall of Sokhumi, we remember our heroic soldiers who died in the war in Abkhazia. We also remember the civilians who lost their lives in this war. On this day, we also remember the wars and conflicts that hindered the development of our country and society for years. From this perspective, it is even more important to understand the purpose and significance of peace”, he said.

The Speaker noted that maintaining continuous peace for the past 14 years was particularly significant given Georgia’s post-independence history.

“The fact that we have endured so many wars and conflicts set the country back by decades in terms of development. Therefore, it is particularly important that the people and the Government have maintained continuous peace for the past 14 years”, he stressed.

He attributed this period of peace to the policies pursued by the Georgian Dream government, contrasting it with the country’s experience under previous governments.

“Since Georgia regained independence, of the four governments, it was the Georgian Dream government that managed to maintain continuous peace in Georgia. Given our history, this makes us realise that peace cannot be taken for granted. We only need to look at what is happening around us to understand that without the Government’s correct policy, it would have been impossible to maintain peace. We have moved our country from a path of destruction to a path of peace”, Papuashvili concluded.

September 27 marks 33 years since the fall of Sokhumi, the decisive event of the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia. The hostilities began on August 14, 1992, and lasted 13 months and 13 days, ending with the fall of Sokhumi on September 27, 1993.

The war resulted in Georgia losing control over Abkhazia, while the region subsequently operated as a de facto separate entity. Georgia and much of the international community consider Abkhazia to be under Russian occupation.

Estimates of the number of people killed and displaced during the conflict vary. Georgian sources have cited more than 10,000 deaths on the Georgian side and between 250,000 and 300,000 people displaced, most of them ethnic Georgians.