Speaker regrets EU Embassy to celebrate Europe Day without congratulating Georgians, veterans on Victory Day
“It is regrettable that the EU Embassy celebrated Europe Day without congratulating the Georgian people, WWII veterans on the 80th anniversary of May 9, Victory Day over Fascism,” wrote Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Facebook.
The Speaker believes that marking Europe Day should not exclude Victory Day celebrations.
“With 300,000 fallen Georgian heroes on the battlefield, Georgia made great sacrifices to defeat Nazism. Without this fight, Europe would not be what it is today. Without this sacrifice, there would be neither the European Union nor Europe Day.
Celebrating Europe Day and victory over fascism should not be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, it was the defeat of fascism that created today’s Europe. It is very bad if the demonstration of ignoring this day serves replacement for one event with another. The common memory is what makes our continent a civilization. True Europe is in valuing the past,” the Speaker remarked.