Statement of the Acting Chair of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia Vakhtang Kolbaia

30 August 2018

Today, on August 30^th, the whole Georgia is celebrating the International Day of the Disappeared.

On this day the families having common problem have a chance to share their feeling with each other. Thousands of people have disappeared in 1992-1993 and as a result of armed conflicts in August 2008 thousands of people have been disappeared in Georgia, as well. For a quarter of a century, most of the families of disappeared people live in hope of their return- mothers with unending tears, fathers, relatives...

Since 2013 the International Committee of the Red Cross in Georgia have been actively involved in finding the disappeared ones, and with their help and negotiations with the Abkhaz side it has become possible for Georgian and Abkhaz families to return the bodies of their children and relatives.

On behalf of our colleagues for such important humanitarian assistance, we would like to thank once again to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the EU and the Embassy of the United States of America.

Also the efforts of State Commission members or individual founded in 1996 are very important as a result, the bodies of 250 people have been buried with respective honors.

The contribution of "Molodini" fund is priceless. With the initiative and effort of this foundation a museum of missing people functioning at the Vashlijvari brothers' cemetery is established. The pictures of 135 Abkhazian soldiers are also exhibited next to the pictures of lost Georgian warriors in the museum.

These are Abkhazians, who fought against Georgians, but it is said that mother's tears and pain does not know the border and nationality and this was confirmed by the mothers of missing children of Georgians as well as Abkhazian who met with each other, including on the occupied territories.

I hope that this important process will be renewed and our Georgian and Abkhazian mothers will share their heartfelt sorrow to each other.

We all - being in Sokhumi and Tbilisi - should take into account that there are eternal values, such as respect for the parents of disappeared and protection of future generations.