Relatives of Georgia鈥檚 servicemen killed during the 2008 brief war with Russia over control of South Ossetia mourn during a ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the conflict at the memorial cemetery in Tbilisi on August 8, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Vano SHLAMOV
Georgia on Wednesday marked the tenth anniversary of its war with Russia which has left the country dismembered with its separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remaining under Moscow鈥檚 control.
Georgia鈥檚 five-cross red-and-white national flags were flying at half-mast outside government buildings as the tiny Black Sea nation mourned the victims of the bloody war.
On Wednesday morning, President Giorgi Margvelashvili laid a wreath at the memorial cemetery of the Georgian soldiers killed in the conflict.
He is later due to address troops at the Senaki military base that was looted and destroyed by invading Russian forces during the conflict and then rebuilt as a showpiece of Georgia鈥檚 drive to join NATO.
Georgia and its Soviet-era master Russia have long been at loggerheads over Tbilisi鈥檚 bid to join the European Union and NATO with the spiraling confrontation culminating in a full-out war on August 8, 2008.
The Russian army swept into Georgia 鈥� bombing targets and occupying large swathes of territory 鈥� after Tbilisi launched a large-scale military operation against South Ossetian separatist forces who had been shelling Georgian villages in the region.
Over just five days, Russia defeated Georgia鈥檚 small military and the hostilities ended with a ceasefire mediated by France鈥檚 then-president Nicolas Sarkozy, who at the time held the European Union鈥檚 rotating presidency.
After the war 鈥� that claimed the lives of hundreds of soldiers and civilians from both sides 鈥� Moscow recognized South Ossetia and another separatist enclave, Abkhazia, as independent states where it then stationed permanent military bases.
The two regions constitute 20 percent of the country鈥檚 territory.
Chorus of condemnation聽
Georgia and its Western partners have condemned Russia鈥檚 continued 鈥渙ccupation鈥� of its territory and demanded the Kremlin reverse its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
On Wednesday the Georgian presidency said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo phoned Margvelashvili to reiterate Washington鈥檚 鈥渟trong support to Georgia鈥檚 territorial integrity and sovereignty.鈥�
He 鈥渦nderlined that the United States would never reconcile with the occupation of Georgian territories鈥� and 鈥減ledged to continue helping Georgia in addressing the challenges still facing the country ten years after Russia鈥檚 military aggression,鈥� it said in a statement.
The Georgian foreign ministry denounced Russia鈥檚 continued military build-up in the separatist regions.
鈥淭he Russian Federation has not implemented its international obligations despite constant calls from the international community鈥� and has further reinforced its illegal military presence on the ground,鈥� the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a show of solidarity with Tbilisi, the foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and Ukraine鈥檚 vice premier visited the country and issued a joint statement urging Russia to 鈥渟tart honouring international law and the right of sovereign neighboring states to choose their own destiny.鈥�
They also expressed 鈥渟trong support for Georgia鈥檚 sovereign choice to pursue the ultimate goal of membership in the EU and NATO.鈥�
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the EU鈥檚 foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the 鈥淩ussian military presence in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia continues to violate international law鈥�.
The German and French foreign ministries called Russia鈥檚 recognition of the breakaway Georgian areas Abkhazia and South Ossetia 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�
Ethnic cleansing聽
Mikheil Saakashvili 鈥� Georgia鈥檚 president in 2004-2013 鈥� accused Russia of preparing to invade his country for years before the war, claiming Russian forces started entering Georgian territory ahead of Tbilisi鈥檚 offensive on the enclave in an op-ed published Tuesday.
But the Kremlin has called its Georgia campaign an 鈥渙peration to force Georgia to peace鈥� and save South Ossetia鈥檚 population from 鈥済enocide.鈥�
Russian President Vladimir Putin 鈥�- who served as prime minister during the war 鈥� said in 2012 that he approved a plan of military action against Georgia as early as in 2006 and that Russia has 鈥渢rained South Ossetian militia.鈥�
Russia and separatist authorities in South Ossetia have rejected repeated calls from the UN General Assembly for the 鈥渟afe and dignified return to their homes鈥� of the 18,500 ethnic Georgians who were forcibly displaced from the region鈥� in what the EU has said was 鈥渁n ethnic cleansing.鈥�
Speaking to AFP last week, Margvelashvili said that the 2008 war was part of Georgia鈥檚 鈥渢wo-century fight for freedom, against the Russian imperialism.鈥�
The Kingdom of Georgia was annexed by the Russian empire in 1801 and the country regained independence in 1918.
The short-lived Democratic Republic of Georgia was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1921 and again became an independent nation when the USSR collapsed in 1991.聽 /vvp