Major General Koba Kobaladze, Director of the State Service of Veteran Affairs, together with Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and members of the government visited Heroes Square and laid a wreath at the Memorial of Heroes who died for territorial integrity of Georgia. He paid tribute to the memory of the fallen heroes and expressed his condolences to the family members of the deceased:

“September 27 is a very painful day for each of us. This is another confirmation of the idea that this country should be ready to fight. This country has one future - strong and free! Today, we honor the souls of our fallen comrades. We thank their families, all of Georgia, including you, for your ability to make each of us feel national freedom and understand the difficulty of that mission”, Koba Kobaladze told journalists.

Later on, Koba Kobaladze came to Heroes Square together with the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, and once again paid tribute to the memory of the fighters who died for the territorial integrity of the country. Koba Kobaladze also laid a wreath at the bust of the national hero of Georgia, Zhiuli Shartava, that was opened today at Heroes Square.

In order to pay tribute to the memory of the heroes who died for the territorial integrity of Georgia, Miron Chigogidze, Deputy Director of the State Service of Veteran Affairs, Jandri Ubiria, Advisor to the Director, Vladimer Imnadze, employees of the agency, veterans of the war and defense forces, family members of those who were murdered and went missing in the war of Abkhazia alongside with the citizens were also present at Heroes Square.

Today, on the 27^th of September, state flags are hoisted in front of all buildings of the state agencies in connection with the 29th anniversary of the fall of Sukhumi and to honor the memory of those who died in the war of Abkhazia.

The military conflict in Abkhazia began on August 14, 1992. The fight for the unity of Georgia against Abkhazian separatists, North Caucasian confederates, Cossacks, and Russian units lasted 13 months and 13 days and ended with the fall of Sukhumi on September 27, 1993. According to the unconfirmed data of the Georgian side, more than 10,000 Georgian soldiers and civilians were murdered, and 300,000 were displaced from their homes.