James Appathurai Congratulates Georgia on the Nation's Day of Unity

James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, took to Facebook to congratulate Georgia on the anniversary of the Day of National Unity.

“Congratulations to Georgia on the anniversary of the Day of National Unity. Georgia has a centuries-long tradition of standing together in times of crisis, as it is doing now again against the pandemic we all face,” reads Appathurai’s post.

On Thursday, 31 years passed since April 9 tragedy. The day is also known in Georgian history as the Tbilisi massacre or Tbilisi tragedy and it refers to the events in Tbilisi, when Georgians, mostly youth, organized an anti-Soviet demonstration. The Soviet Army dispersed the protesters on central Rustaveli Avenue, resulting in 21 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

On this day every year, Georgia remembers the heroes who did their part in securing the nation’s independence.

By Nini Dakhundaridze