SAAKASHVILI SENDS "LOVE" MESSAGES, SHOWCASES 15,000 SOLDIERS AT INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE
Maia Edilashvili
The Georgian Times, Georgia
May 28 2007
"There is nothing capable of defeating us if we stand together … We
maintained our economy and become the top reformer last year amid outer
force’s efforts to destroy our economy – this has been possible thanks
to our ability to remain united," said Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili on May 26 while addressing an audience of 15,000 servicemen
who paraded in downtown Tbilisi to mark the Independence Day.
Georgian government officials and representatives of the Diplomatic
Corps from 40 countries attended the celebration. In his Independence
Day speech which has become a traditional feature of the pompous
military parades since the Rose Revolution, Saakashvili underlined
that Georgian people’s determination is something which is above all
including the country’s military strength and success in economic
development.
He stressed that Georgia is "a multi-ethnic state" but there is only
one nation – Georgia. This nation, Saakashvili specified, is composed
of Georgian Azerbaijanis, Georgian Abkhazians, Georgian Ossetians,
Georgian Armenians etc.
The latest military parade, like its predecessors, showcased Georgia’s
well-reformed military forces. 15,500 servicemen, including 3,500
reservists, marched down on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue on Saturday. The
military parade also included four newly purchased L-39 training and
multi-purpose light attack aircraft and 120 KRAZ-type military trucks.
Last year 13 000 soldiers, 5 000 servicemen from the reserve troops
and 400 officers from the Interior Ministry marched on May 26 in
downtown Tbilisi to celebrate the Independence Day. Helicopters
and fighter jets also appeared on Rustaveli Avenue prompting the
commentators to describe last year’s military parade as "the largest
ever held in Georgia." "This is the first parade of the strongest
Georgian army… Never before has Georgia had such a strong army,"
Giorgi Arveladze, by then chief of the President’s administration said.
The most modest of the military parades during the last four years
was the one in 2005 in which only about 1,500 Georgian servicemen and
dozens of armored vehicles took part. On May 25, President Saakashvili
said that Georgia did not want to speak "in the language of force."
Yet, the most contrasting compared to Shevardnadze-era Independence Day
celebrations and military parades was the first military parade staged
following the Rose Revolution. On May 26, 2004 Georgian government
organized what was described as "the largest-ever military parade
in Georgia’s history." Up to 8,000 soldiers and officers from the
armed forces and up to one-hundred armored vehicles, heavy artillery
and ‘Grad’ missile launchers, as well as anti-aircraft missiles
participated in the march.
In his televised address to the nation on May 25, President
Saakashvili said that the event would aim to "demonstrate Georgia’s
forces." However, he also stated that Georgia would apply to only
peaceful means to reunite Georgia. "If you asked any Georgian soldier
why he is serving in the armed forces, each of them would reply –
‘to restore Georgia’s territorial integrity’," Saakashvili said adding
that a peaceful resolution of the Abkhazia conflict is a primary goal
of his government. He said Tbilisi was ready to grant the breakaway
regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia the largest possible autonomy
within the Georgian state and vowed that Georgia would have the best
army in the region in a couple of years.
The Georgian authorities have been pursuing this goal consistently
ever since. In August of 2006, Saakashvili called for the government to
double the size of its military reserve force, to 100,000 soldiers. He
also called for more reservist camps to be established and developed
in line with the Western standards so that Georgia could be ready to
use all the measures of "total defense." The announcements came as
tensions rose between Georgia and two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia with Abkhaz leaders claiming that Georgia was preparing
for war.
However, Georgian government has denied the claims of being preparing
for war saying that Georgia needs the strong army in order to be safely
protected. Many members of the parliament have trained at reservist
camps. In August 2006, President Saakashvili joined reserve troops
to spend his ten-day vacation in a reservists’ training camp in the
village of Osiauri in a bid to provide an example for others.
Under the new system of reserve troops, each citizen under the age
of 40 are obliged to join the reserve troops for at least two weeks
in order to get elementary skills.
Besides, the Georgian government has recently proposed to increase
the 2007 defense spending from the current 513.2m GEL to 957.8m GEL
(about USD 566.7m). According to Levan Nikoleishvili, the Deputy
Defense Minister, most of the additional funding for the Defense
Ministry will go to purchase weaponry and ammunition. The increased
defense funding will make up to 6% of the country’s GDP, paving the
way for the highest defense budget in Georgia’s history.
In the recent May 26 adress President Saakashvili underlined that the
territorial integrity is Georgia’s number one priority. Currently, he
noted, Georgia has a responsibility to maintain Georgia in the borders
"in which our ancestors left it for us," and a responsibility towards
"our 500,000 compatriots who have been expelled from Abkhazia.
"Not only ethnic Georgians; these are ethnic Ukrainians, ethnic
Estonians, ethnic Jews, ethnic Armenians, ethnic Greeks and ethnic
Abkhazians. We have duty to bring all of them back to their homes
[in Abkhazia]," Georgian President Saakashvili said.
He also addressed residents of breakaway South Ossetian and told
them in the Ossetian language: "We love you," adding "it is our
responsibility to maintain Georgia, which is multi-ethnic and
multi-confessional."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress