Georgia marks 31st anniversary of historic referendum on independence

Today Georgia marks the 31st anniversary of a historic referendum on March 31, 1991 on the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. 

Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili has stated that on this day the whole of Georgia, including the people in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali regions (currently Russian-occupied regions of Georgia), “loudly and clearly announced their decision to restore statehood.” 

“It was the unanimous will of the Georgian people which guided the Supreme Council on the adoption of the Act of Restoration of State Independence on April 9 of the same year,” Garibashvili said. 

He stated that many people fought for this victory, “but there is no doubt that it is primarily the merit of the first president of Georgia, the real people’s leader, Zviad Gamsakhurdia.” 

Gamsakhurdia would have turned 83 today. 

The PM said that the  March 31 referendum “laid a solid foundation” for the building of a modern Georgian state. 

“The referendum has made Georgia’s move to its goals irreversible. The goal is building a free, united and strong Georgia which has a worthy place among the nations of the world with its unique history and culture,” Garibashvili said. 

He has expressed hope that adherence to the ideals of independence and freedom, the unity of government and people “is the path that will soon lead us to this goal.”