President paid tribute to soldiers who died for Independence of Lithuania and Georgia

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, being on an official visit to Lithuania, paid tribute to soldiers who fought for the independence of Lithuania and Georgia. She laid a wreath at the Memorial of Heroes Fallen for the Independence and Freedom of the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius.

At Antakalnis Military Cemetery, Zurabishvili also laid a wreath at the grave of Datiko Machavariani, Georgian soldier and Officer of the First Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) buried in Lithuania.

Captain Davit (Datiko) Machavariani, an artillery captain in WW I, was actively engaged in the creation of Georgia’s National Army since 1918. In 1918-1921, he participated in every battle for protecting Georgia’s borders and statehood.

After Georgia’s occupation by Russia, Datiko Machavariani emigrated and served in the artillery division of Poland’s National Army, subsequently being elevated to the rank of major and receiving numerous high-level decorations.

Machavariani is laid to rest in the Military Cemetery in Lithuania, near the memorial honoring those fallen for Lithuania’s independence.