The News in Brief
Friday, November 17, 2023
Prepared by Messenger Staff
The Civil Funeral and Military Burial for 20 Soldiers Missing from Abkhazia in the 1990s
The civil funeral for 20 soldiers, who went missing during the armed conflicts of the 1990s and were transferred from the occupied region of Abkhazia, took place in the Trinity Cathedral over two days.
The soldiers, transferred to Georgia as a result of the joint efforts of the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality and the International Committee of the Red Cross, were honored with a military burial. Five of them were interred with military honors at the Dighomi brothers' cemetery, while the remainder found their resting places at various locations.
Within the framework of the search mechanisms for those missing in the Abkhazia war of the 1990s and the war of August 2008, the first identification and repatriation occurred in 2013. So far, 604 human remains have been found, with 265 of them identified.
Insights from International Republican Institute Survey
The International Republican Institute (IRI) published the results of a survey in which respondents were asked about the biggest political threat to Georgia. Seventy-seven percent (77%) identified Russia, 12% chose Turkey, and 9% selected the USA.
In total, 86% express support for joining the European Union, compared to 89% in March. Of the respondents, 74% indicate support for EU membership even if it entails cutting trade ties with Russia, with 17% opposing. Changes from the March survey fall within the margin of error.
According to the (IRI) research, if parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, 25% of respondents would support the Georgian Dream, while 13% would support the 'United National Movement.'
The survey results indicate that 77% of respondents gave a positive evaluation of the Georgian army (with 16% responding negatively), 71% positively assessed the Georgian Patriarchate (with 21% responding negatively), and 67% expressed a positive view of the police (with 28% responding negatively).
The research, conducted by IPM during the period of September 14 to October 14, 2023, involved fieldwork and face-to-face interviews for data collection.
The sample, which consisted of 1,200 respondents with voting rights and diverse age groups, was weighted based on age, gender, region, and settlement size.
The research, made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development, had a response rate of 73%. The margin of error for the study is +/- 2.5%.
The Civil Funeral and Military Burial for 20 Soldiers Missing from Abkhazia in the 1990s
The soldiers, transferred to Georgia as a result of the joint efforts of the Office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality and the International Committee of the Red Cross, were honored with a military burial. Five of them were interred with military honors at the Dighomi brothers' cemetery, while the remainder found their resting places at various locations.
Within the framework of the search mechanisms for those missing in the Abkhazia war of the 1990s and the war of August 2008, the first identification and repatriation occurred in 2013. So far, 604 human remains have been found, with 265 of them identified.
Insights from International Republican Institute Survey
In total, 86% express support for joining the European Union, compared to 89% in March. Of the respondents, 74% indicate support for EU membership even if it entails cutting trade ties with Russia, with 17% opposing. Changes from the March survey fall within the margin of error.
According to the (IRI) research, if parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, 25% of respondents would support the Georgian Dream, while 13% would support the 'United National Movement.'
The survey results indicate that 77% of respondents gave a positive evaluation of the Georgian army (with 16% responding negatively), 71% positively assessed the Georgian Patriarchate (with 21% responding negatively), and 67% expressed a positive view of the police (with 28% responding negatively).
The research, conducted by IPM during the period of September 14 to October 14, 2023, involved fieldwork and face-to-face interviews for data collection.
The sample, which consisted of 1,200 respondents with voting rights and diverse age groups, was weighted based on age, gender, region, and settlement size.
The research, made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development, had a response rate of 73%. The margin of error for the study is +/- 2.5%.