European Victory Day

On May 8th the foreign minister of Georgia Grigory Vashadze visited Vake Park in Tbilisi, which in Soviet times was called The Victory Park, and laid flowers to the Grave of Unknown Soldier. He was accompanied by the ambassadors of European countries. In the EU the Victory Day is celebrated on May 8th, as the act of capitulation of Nazi Germany was signed late at night on the 8th of May 1945. In Moscow due to time lag it was already the 9th of May. However, many Georgian politicians try to see a symbolic sense in this lag.

Notwithstanding the foreign minister Vashadze celebrated the Victory Day according to Berlin time in Georgia officially the holiday is celebrated on May 9th. Why?

First of all, in most former Soviet republics the Victory Day is celebrated on May 9th. Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Kazakhstan are main trade and political partners of Georgia. The presidents of these countries sent their greetings to Saakashvili on May 9th.

Secondly, Georgian veterans got used to celebrate this saint for them date on the 9th of May. Saakashvili doesn’t want to look like a fool and celebrate such an important event in a different day.

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK.