Gakharia Opens August War Memorial

August is the month of remembrance in Georgia. Tomorrow, on August 7, 11 years will have passed since the beginning of the Russo-Georgian War (August 7 – 16, 2008). Though the war seems short on paper, considering it only went on for 9 days, Georgia still suffered a great loss. Within the painful theme, today Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia opened a memorial in Nikolozi village, Gori municipality. The memorial honors those who sacrificed their lives fighting for Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The memorial is dedicated to all the soldiers and civilians killed in the August war. At the opening ceremony, locals and guests gathered around to honor the heroes. The Minister of Internal Affairs paid tribute and addressed the public.

In his speech, Gakharia pointed out that while understanding that opening memorials is the smallest thing, it is still our responsibility to remember the fallen and their deeds, take care of their families and through constant labor, give meaning to their sacrifice.

"Let's not spend time arguing and explaining who loves the homeland more, who started the war, who is the occupier, and where the dividing line is. We all know well where this line is, we all know that you cannot start a war on your own land, and we all know that the line that is here is an occupation line. The idea of opening this memorial belongs only to you and this is your merit. I want to pay tribute to the memory of each hero. Everyone should understand that the lesson of 2008 is the lesson that war is not a solution: the solution is labor. The solution is a better, more developed, democratic country and the solution is to take care of our children, their future and, first of all, the children of the fallen heroes,“ said Gakharia.

By Nini Dakhundaridze