“Article 1 of the 1921 Constitution of Georgia begins as follows: “Georgia is a free, independent and united state. This one sentence clearly defines the essence and historical task of national statehood: Defending state independence and preserving national identity,” wrote Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Facebook.

Shalva Papuashvili congratulated Georgian citizens on First Constitution Day, saying the first article in the constitution of various countries accentuates different things shaping the country’s political manifesto.

“First articles in the Constitution of various countries accentuate different values: some – human rights, some – sovereignty of people, some – social state principles or institutional arrangement. In the case of Georgia, the defining words are freedom, independence and unity. Along with a legal norm, this is also a political manifesto, which Ilia Chavchavadze (Georgian public figure) conveyed most vividly: ‘Our selves belong to ourselves.’ This idea continued and was upheld in the 1995 Constitution, where Article 1 stresses state sovereignty and unity,

My congratulations on First Constitution Day. This day reminds us that statehood begins with sovereignty,” Papuashvili said.

Georgia’s First Constitution was adopted in 1921 by the Constituent Assembly.