2022-06-23

It is a great honor to have served with you throughout my tenure as Defense Minister. And now I, as Prime Minister, reaffirm my respect and reverence to you. I bow my head to you. We will do everything to make sure that our army is appreciated even more, to empower our military forces, and make our country stronger. God bless our Georgia and our army! Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili addressed the soldiers at today's event marking the opening of Week of Wounded and Injured Soldiers, in Tserovani.

The Head of Government thanked wounded and injured soldiers and emphasized that they have done more for Georgia than anyone else.

"Greetings, dear friends, Mister Defense Minister, Chief of Defense Forces, Esteemed Generals, dear friends! I welcome the US Deputy Ambassador and our partners, our hero soldiers, our hero fighters, I welcome everyone, and I bow my head to you! Once again, I greet our wounded and injured service members, our invincible military!

"As Head of Government and an ordinary Georgian, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your selflessness and sacrifice. I may sound overwhelmed but I am being absolutely honest. You have done more for Georgia than anyone else, you have sacrificed the most precious thing, your health, for our homeland and people, for a better tomorrow of our children. Once again, let me reaffirm my deepest respect for you. It is a great honor to be addressing you today. We, our small country and very strong people, have done a lot for the international community, for our international partners, for cementing global security, fighting international terrorism, and we have always been honest in this fight, always doing what we believe in and trust. It has been not some unilateral obligation assumed by us, but a strongly formulated idea and motivation that we, Georgia and Georgians, want to contribute to peace and order around the world, and we have proved it repeatedly. Compared to other, bigger nations, we have made a tremendous contribution, be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Central Africa, or elsewhere. And you, our dear soldiers, our cherished soldiers, have always proudly represented our country of a great civilization and culture, our Georgia. Dear friends, we have shed much blood in these wars. Thirty-five soldiers have paid the ultimate price for this idea that is linked to establishing order in the world, international security, combatting terrorism, and so on. And hundreds of our hero soldiers have suffered serious injuries. They have sacrificed their health. They have sacrificed what matters most, some their lives, and others their health," the Prime Minister said.

According to Garibashvili, Georgia deserves more, and if anyone among the Associated Trio deserves the candidate status, it is our country. However, it is also understandable that a different kind of conjuncture is found in the world today, and different, complex processes are underway, something that the country must take calmly and keep pressing on.

"Once again, I bow my head to you. We are indebted to you, and we will never be able to repay you, no matter what this or any other Government, Minister, Prime Minister, or President may do. We will always remain indebted to you. These are not random words, and I am not trying to impress anyone. This is our duty. We understand that these days have been quite emotional, and I would like to share my vision with you, something I have already discussed publicly along with my concerns. One of Georgia's more prominent arguments why we deserve more, and why this kind of treatment is wrong and unfair, lies in the facts listed by me, such as the blood shed by us, our fight, war. We have fought against Russian troops three times since regaining independence. In 2008, you, our armed forces, exhibited exemplary heroism. We are not vying with anyone else's army, but we Georgians have survived thanks to two forces: our faith, creed, Church, and our army, our people, our unyielding spirit. Unfortunately, some are questioning these today. Of course, I am not envious of anyone's success. On the contrary, I am happy for Ukrainians, Moldovans, and everyone else, but Georgia deserves more. And if any of these three countries deserves it, that must be Georgia. However, it is also understandable, dear friends, that a different kind of conjuncture is found in the world today, and different, complex processes are underway, something that we must take calmly and keep pressing on, empowering our country and army, protecting our country and people, to make sure that our main dream comes true sooner, meaning the day when we will meet in a unified, undivided, and strong Georgia. This must be our nation's unifying idea. I avail myself of this opportunity to express gratitude to the United States of America, representatives of the US Embassy, the Defense Attaché, everyone sincerely assisting our army, the cause of empowering our armed forces, those who have been engaged in the relevant reforms over the years. This amazing center, for example, was financed by the US Government, built with our co-financing. Thank you once again for this, and thanks to all partners sincerely assisting our country and our army," the head of Government emphasized.

The invited guests were also addressed by Georgia's Defense Minister and the US Deputy Ambassador. Juansher Burchuladze underscored the guarantees of social security for wounded and injured fighters. According to him, the state is implementing numerous projects for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of service members, constantly looking to improve the relevant infrastructure and equipment.

After the speeches, sports events were held for the first time in the territory of the rehabilitation center, with injured service members competing in cycling.

As part of Week of Wounded and Injured Soldiers, basketball games, running over various distances, shooting, table tennis, volleyball, and other Paralympic sport disciplines will be held. Under the scheduled events, Open Day will be held for wounded service members and their families. An exhibition of military equipment and an entertainment program for children will also be organized.

June 30 marks Day of Wounded and Injured Soldiers. The official event marking the opening of Week of Wounded and Injured Soldiers was held at Maro Makashvili Rehabilitation Center for Service Members.

The Defense Ministry has been marking Day of Wounded and Injured Service Members, established on the initiative of Irakli Garibashvili, since 2021.

Press Service of the Government Administration