Georgia, Tbilisi, Aug. 8 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Patriarch Ilia II revered the memory of the soldiers killed during the 2008 war at the Muhatgverdi fraternal cemetery.
They laid wreaths at the memorial to the fallen and personally expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
Accompanied by a choir, the patriarch sang hymns for the souls of the dead.
Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia told media that the Georgian military will never forget their comrades who fell in the war with Russia and will always remember them.
Military actions were launched in the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia in August 2008. Georgian troops entered Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and later Russian troops occupied the city and drove the Georgian military back to Georgia.
Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on Aug. 26 and established diplomatic relations with the regions on Sept. 9, 2008.