Minister of Defence of Georgia has visited Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. In commemoration of the occupation day on February 25 1921, Irakli Alasania delivered a public lecture for TSU and NDA students.
TSU Rector Aleksandre Kvitashvili, Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of GAF Colonel Vladimer Chachibaia and National Defence Academy Rector Zurab Agladze attended the meeting.
Minister of Defence started an opening speech by Ivane Javakhishvili’s words, by which he addressed the students gathered in the University garden on February 23, 1921: “My children, my duty is to call you to learn well, but there are some moments in our lives when it’s necessary to put everything away and take arms against the enemy. So, at this moment I’m calling you to take arms”.
He spoke on the Red Army occupation of Georgia in 1921 and one-week long staunch fight led by Georgian Junkers in the Kojori-Tabaxmela areas. Irakli Alasania presented the Defence Ministry priorities to the audience and underlined importance of armed forces for the country. While addressing the students, Minister referred to the territorial integrity of Georgia and hoped that Abkhazia and South Ossetia problems will be resolved through diplomatic ways.
In the Petre Melikishvili Hall of Tbilisi State University Defence Minister introduced Davit Mebaghishvili and Valerian Elizbarashvili to the TSU students. They decided to continue the way of their fathers who sacrificed their lives to the unity of the country in 2008.
“It is very symbolic for me that I have been given an opportunity to speak with the students, the future generation of our country about the soviet occupation and a combat spirit which was revealed by our cadets. They resisted the powerful enemy with their sincere love of homeland and managed to deter it for a certain period. The University is a right place to speak about it. I am grateful to the students, the University leadership to give me such an opportunity. On this day we feel both sorrow and pride as the Georgian people proved their enormous combat morale and experience. I am glad that there are both NDA and TSU students. I would like to reiterate what kind of armed forces we want to have in future. We feel power and experience coming from our past heroes. Our Junkers-defenders of Georgia in 1921, just give us a worthy example of it,” stated Irakli Alasnia.
The meeting went on in an interactive format. The students expressed interest in the future cooperation between Defence Ministry and University.
The questions concerned mainly Georgia`s NATO integration prospects, GAF`s participation in the peacekeeping mission, officers courses and other details on MoD employment.
Today, TSU Rector has hosted Defence Minister in the Maro Makhashvili Hall of Tbilisi State University to see the exhibition dedicated to the Soviet Occupation Day. Irakli Alaasania was also presented with Professor Malkhaz Matsaberidze`s book “University in February, 1921”.
Today, Georgian Defence Minister together with Prime-Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and the representatives of executive and legislative bodies attended the church service in commemoration of the Georgian Junkers fallen in 1921. The ceremony was held at Khareba chapel in the yeard of the former Parliament. After the commemoration ceremony, the officials laid wreath on the Memorial.
