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Georgia to mark Soviet occupation every year
Published: 21 July, 2010, 19:17
Edited: 25 July, 2010, 01:17
AFP Photo / Vano Shlamov
TAGS: Conflict, Georgia, Russia, Politics
The Georgian parliament on Wednesday voted in favor of the government’s initiative to mark August 23 as a memorial day called “Day of Soviet Occupation.”
During the same session the MPs voted to join the EU initiative to make August 23 the European day of remembrance for victims of all totalitarian regimes.
The chairman of the parliamentary group for external relations, Akakiy Minashvili, said that it was extremely important that Georgia had such holidays.
“We need these days to have corresponding names. I hope the problems brought to the country by the totalitarian regime will never be repeated,” Georgian media quoted the politician as saying.
Interestingly, the chosen date does not match any of the occupations Georgia suffered in the 20th century. On February 25, 1921 units of the Red Army supported by Georgian Bolsheviks took over the city of Tbilisi, which had already been abandoned by the army of the Georgian Democratic Republic – an independent state that was created in 1918. The government of the Democratic Republic had also fled the country by this time and was replaced by the Bolshevik Soviet of People’s Commissars. Several large cities continued the resistance until March, but then all Georgia was under Bolshevik control and joined the Union of Soviet Republics in 1922.
The fact is, Georgia was occupied twice in 1918 – first by Germans and then by the British, who sent 60,000 troops to the country to get control of transport routes and oil terminals, crucial for the units that fought against Turkey.
The new law obliges all Georgian citizens to hold mourning services every year, as well as to hold a minute of silence and to fly flags at half mast in all state institutions. State institutions were ordered to do more to inform the society about the “crimes of totalitarian regimes,” in particular about the peace pact Russia and Germany signed on August 23, 1939.
The Georgian authorities have already marked the day of Soviet occupation unofficially, but in 2010 the event was of an especially large scale as part of a general anti-Russian drive that followed the failed attempt to claim the republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Also in 2010 Georgia destroyed the monument to heroes of World War II in order to replace it with a monument to victims of political repressions.
21.07.2010, 19:10
2 comments
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I think, the irony of this latest Georgia's move is that Georgians look little bit foolish. Because, unlike, some other Russia's Western neighbors (primarily, Baltics, Poland, Western Ukraine) who, at least, more or less consistent in their relationships with Russia (actually, for centuries), Georgia doesn't have that "anti-Russian or anti-Soviet" basis for their actions. Georgians played big role in the formation of the Soviet Union and the history of its entire existence (including Shevardnadze being one of the key political figure of the late Soviet time, and even potential Soviet President). Georgia, from the very beginning, was one of the political cornerstones of the USSR. So, when Georgians say, that they are going to mark the "Day of Soviet Occupation", for me it sounds more like they are going to mourn the occupation of Georgia by ... Georgians themselves. And it is not like I have problems with Georgians and their role in the Soviet (or Russian, for that matter) history. I just think, that Georgians should think little bit before they act. To avoid such comical situations as this one.
If Russia were much more honest and much less devious about its Soviet era deeds in regard to its neighbours and showed more genuine goodwill and less truculence towards them, neighbouring countries would not feel so apprehensive and would have less need to reinforce their own identity in the face of Russian pressure. However, this implies that Russia is willing to actually change, and that's the problem.
Do they will marking occupation made by themselves ? I mean STALINashvilli ? Beside this joke, in reality Georgia was protected from many dangers during the red "occupation". I can't remember which is the color of the last occupation (rose or orange ?).