GTU Rector – “We Must Not Forget Abkhazia, We Must Not Forget Those Who Lost Their Lives and the Veterans, and We Must Not Forget the Pain of Displaced Families”

“The imposed conflict and the war in Abkhazia left the country with an extremely painful legacy – immense loss of life, families torn apart, homes destroyed, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, orphaned children, and deep traumas passed down from one generation to another. According to official sources, thousands of people lost their lives in the armed conflict, while more than 300,000 people were forced to leave their homes and became internally displaced. Behind these figures lies the personal tragedy of every individual. Therefore, even 33 years later, the events that unfolded in our recent history must not be viewed solely through the lens of statistics. The war of that time is still present today in a mother’s unending tears, a child’s longing, a father who never returned, abandoned homes, lost childhoods, and futures taken away,” said Georgian Technical University Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, on the Day of the Fall of Sokhumi, at a commemorative event honoring the heroes who lost their lives for Georgia’s territorial integrity.

On the 33rd anniversary of the tragic events that unfolded in Abkhazia on September 27, 1993, Georgian Technical University Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, together with students and representatives of the university administration, laid wreaths at the Heroes’ Memorial and at the bust of Georgia’s National Hero, Zhuli Shartava. Representatives of the University paid tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives in the war in Abkhazia and once again commemorated the people who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for the country’s territorial integrity.

As the GTU Rector stated, September 27, 1993, the Day of the Fall of Sokhumi, is one of the most tragic dates in Georgia’s recent history. According to Academician David Gurgenidze, the armed conflict on September 27 resulted in loss of life and the mass forced displacement of the population. Zhuli Shartava, who at the time served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, was killed during the fall of Sokhumi. He was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Georgia.

“On September 27, 1993, Zhuli Shartava and his fellow fighters refused to leave Sokhumi. They remained until the very end alongside the people to whom they had assumed an immense responsibility. That day, Zhuli Shartava and his fellow fighters were executed. With profound respect and reverence, we wish to remember all those heroes whose names are an inseparable part of our national memory: Geno Adamia, Mamia Alasania, Raul Eshba, Aleksandre Berulava, Father Andria (Kurashvili), Yuri (Giorgi) Anua, and every person who defended their homeland and dignity on the land of Abkhazia at the cost of their own lives.

The Babushera tragedy, the battles of Gumista and Tamysh, the bloody days in Kamani, and the fall of Sokhumi are pages of our history that we have no right to forget. We must teach future generations that war is not merely a front line drawn on a map – war is the loss of human lives and the profound psychological trauma endured by those who survive. War destroys everything: the economy, education, culture, families, and the future. We must not forget Abkhazia. We must not forget those who lost their lives there and the veterans. We must not forget the pain of displaced families.

At the same time, however, it is our greatest responsibility to leave future generations a country oriented not toward war, but toward unity, hard work and peaceful development, education and science.

Eternal and blessed be the memory of all our fellow citizens who lost their lives in Abkhazia, our heroes! May God grant peace, unity, and prosperity to Georgia and our people!”

– Academician David Gurgenidze