Yesterday Jonathan Djanogly, Member of Parliament for the Huntingdon Constituency and Chair of the Georgia APPG, shared the following message in support of Georgians, who are marking fifteen years since their country was partially invaded by Russia:

“On the 7 August 2008, Russia and its proxies launched a war of imperialist aggression on the Republic of Georgia, beginning what is widely regarded as the first European war of the 21st century.

“Since then, 20% of Georgia has been illegally occupied, and the conflict continues as a cold war-like stalemate.

“Despite Russian intransigence, the evidence of which we see in Ukraine, Georgians have demonstrated remarkable resilience. With a growing economy and largely pro-Western public opinion, Georgia is an increasingly important partner country of the UK in the Caucasus region.

“The question that stays with me is, if we had taken firmer action fifteen years ago, would we still be seeing the destruction caused by Russia in Ukraine today?”