The President of Georgia released a statement on the 12th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war.

“12 years passed since the tragic events of August war. We honor our heroic warriors and civilians who sacrificed their lives to protect Georgia. Our unbreakable spirit was our response to the 2008 war, and it is still our response today - to not get used to it! As many times throughout history, Georgia once again proved that it has a tremendous wish and energy for survival.

Occupation is a great pain for all citizens of Georgia. We experience this tragedy equally on both sides of the occupation line. We all remember that the unity of us, Ossetians and Abkhazians dates back thousands of years. We recognize that we are part of one great culture and a common Caucasian civilization, and those who fight against this culture, this civilization, are fighting not only our past but also trying to take away our united future. But in vain!

Neither the war, nor the occupation, nor the violation of the rights and identity of our citizens has affected the sovereignty and independence of Georgia.

Russia failed to achieve its goal. The war was unable to change Georgia’s path to become a dignified, strong, stable, democratic, independent state. Progress towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration has not stopped… Freedom, peace, and solidarity have no alternative!”, - concluded Salome Zourabichvili.