Abkhazia marks Fatherland Defenders Memory Day

The Georgian-Abkhazian armed conflict began on August 14, 1992, when Georgian troops intruded into the republic's territory.

The day in Sukhum traditionally began with a flower laying ceremony at the Glory Memorial, where Abkhazian defenders are buried.

President Sergei Bagapsh, Vice-President Alexander Ankvab, Parliament Speaker Nugzar Ashuba and Prime Minister Sergei Shamba participated in the ceremony.

Then, the leaders and representatives of the public visited the grave of first Abkhazian president Vladislav Ardzinba in the village of Nizhnyaya Eshera, the Sukhum district.

A commemoration meeting will be held in the Military Glory Museum in Eshera on Saturday. Candles will be lit in commemoration of the dead, and a documentary film about the 1992-1993 events will be shown.

According to the Abkhazian Defence Ministry, 2,700 people died and more than 5,000 were wounded in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. About 200 people are missing, Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com