Georgian leaders attend memorial service for victims of Abkhazia war missing persons cases

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and members of the government attended a civil memorial service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi for individuals missing since the armed conflicts in Abkhazia during the 1990s whose remains were recently returned.

Kobakhidze paid tribute to the victims and offered condolences to their families.

According to the State Minister’s Office for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, the identification and return of 11 missing persons was carried out within a coordination mechanism involving Georgian and Abkhaz participants, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Among those identified were two military personnel and nine civilians.

Officials said the identified individuals would be buried in family cemeteries across different regions of Georgia, in accordance with the wishes of their relatives.

Efforts to identify and repatriate people missing from the conflicts in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali have continued for years through humanitarian mechanisms supported by international organisations.