On May 26, Georgia celebrated the 92nd anniversary of its declaration
of independence. In 1918, the National Assembly of the Democratic
Republic of Georgia, consisting mostly of social-democrats and headed
by Noi Jordania, proclaimed its independence under pressure from
Turkey and Germany. The decision was made against the backdrop of
World War One. Three years later February 1921, the Red Army entered
Georgia and the country later joined the USSR. In 1924 an anti-Soviet
revolt broke out in Georgia, but was harshly put down.
The irony is that Georgia annually celebrates two days of
independence. On April 9, 1991 the first president of modern Georgia,
Zviad Djimsahurdia, proclaimed Georgia an independent state. But as
that act coincided with the second anniversary of the tragedy at
Rustaveli Avenue, when dozens of people were killed in a clash with
Soviet troops, the main celebrations are held on May 26.
Showy resolve.
Last year, the authorities decided not to organize a parade, as the
opposition had blocked Rustaveli Avenue with tents. The Georgian
opposition threatened to disrupt the parade as "Saakashvili, who lost
the war of 2008 and two territories had no right to inspect the
troops". Nevertheless, the Georgian mentality has changed a lot since
then - months-long protests resulted in nothing, and the leaders of
opposition didn't even recommend a joint candidate for the post of
Tbilisi mayor. They finally lost the trust of the general public, when
only several dozen people came to a rehearsal of a rally due to be
held during the official military parade.
Renegades and Patriots.
Special guests and ambassadors, accredited in Tbilisi, attended the
parade. Small children dressed in military uniform stood right behind
the president. They had fun and didn't pay any attention when the
president was speaking or soldiers were matching along the street, but
the military hardware caught their attention.
The parade started with one-minute silence in memory of Polish
President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, who recently died in a plane
crash in west Russia. Saakashvili said they had become new victims of
that "evil" place, bringing back memories of the repressed Polish
officers who died at Katyn. Later, the president accused Moscow of
planning new aggression against Georgia, and slammed rebels "who ready
to bend their knee to the Kremlin." There could be no doubt that he
meant his former allies Nino Burdjanidze and Zurab Nogaideli.
Tanks
More than 5,000 soldiers participated in the parade, with the overall
strength of Georgian army estimated at 25,000 people. Soldiers and
officers were dressed in new uniforms, designed along the lines of
those worn by NATO forces. For about an hour, participants of the
parade marched along the main street of Tbilisi, and then, under the
influence of the passionate speech of Saakashvili, a strange thought
came to mind: How long would it take if 1/5 of the Russian army
marched along Red Square?
Then the most interesting part started - a parade of military
hardware. The column was headed by the Turkish armored troop carriers
(ATC), and then the audience saw Czech artillery and Israeli multiple
launch rocket systems. At the end of the column was hardware designed
in Russia (ATC-3) and the Soviet Union.
Apparently the hardware demonstration was aimed to show the increased
potential of the Georgian forces after the five-day war with Russia.
Silent friends.
The leaders of the opposition and veterans of the wars in Abkhazia and
South Ossetia gathered in Vera Park, while official Tbilisi was
celebrating Independence Day with a military parade. Thus they
demonstrated that they condemn Saakashvili, but do not agree with the
annexation of the two Georgian territories.
After the parade Saakashvili unveiled monument in memory of the
soldiers who died "fighting Russian aggression in 1921, 1924, and
2008". The fact that this monument was unveiled right after the
deconstruction of the World War Two Kutaisi monument shows that Russia
can hardly count on rapprochement with the Georgian authorities. Even
its new partners Russia - Burdjanidze and Nogaideli - did not protest
against the construction of the memorial in honor of soldiers who
fought Russia.
Georgy Kalotozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VK.
