Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

The foundation for European Georgia has been laid and the process of building a modern Georgia must be based on Georgian values and traditions, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said in his New Year Congratulatory Message on December 31.

"Last year, through a free and democratic process, we succeeded in consolidating democracy, closing the post-Soviet era, and starting to build a modern European state," he said.

The president further noted that Georgian people are oriented to freedom, and Georgian culture is a culture of diversity and tolerance.

"Georgian people are individualists by nature, but at the same time, our slogan is 'Strength is in Unity". Based on these very values and with new inspiration, we should form a new, modern, European Georgia," Margvelasvili said.

He also congratulated Abkhazian and Ossetians.

"I want to congratulate our Abkhazian and Ossetian brothers. We should manage to overcome the pain of the past and build a new Georgia with a new vision," the president stressed.

Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Russia crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.

Margvelashvili recently said Georgia will continue its policy of normalizing relations with Russia.