Georgia marks republic's 103rd anniversary

TBILISI, Georgia

The Freedom Square in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on Wednesday hosted an event as part of celebrations for the 103rd anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Georgia.

The event was attended by Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, diplomats, politicians and religious leaders.

In his address, Zourabichvili said Georgia was under Soviet Union occupation for 70 years and regained its independence in 1991.

Georgia announced itself as an independent democratic republic in 1918 but was made part of the Soviet Union three years later. In 1991, the Eurasian nation proclaimed its independence from the USSR.

Underlining that May 26 is the day of victory against the Soviet occupation, Zourabichvili said: “The May 26 victory shows Georgia has overcome all kinds of difficulties for 30 years, remained strong against provocations and occupation, and never gave up despite all kinds of obstacles and threats on its way."

Duda said Poland supports Georgia's territorial integrity, independence, and its integration with NATO and EU.

Poland and Georgia do not accept the "desire of Russia to rule neighboring countries," he added. “Our neighboring country in the north, which we know well for centuries, wants neighboring states to be subservient ... we do not accept this."

While Google marked the day with a special doodle, dozens of foreign states including Turkey also congratulated Georgia on its independence anniversary.

"Happy Independence Day to our Neighbor and Strategic Partner #Georgia," the Turkish Foreign Ministry tweeted.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz