President of the Republic of Abkhazia Badra Gunba and First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko took part in a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who carried out a peacekeeping mission in the Republic of Abkhazia. The event was also attended by Vice President of the Republic of Abkhazia Beslan Bigvava, Prime Minister Vladimir Delba and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Abkhazia Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Russian peacekeepers served in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone from 1994 to 2008 in accordance with the Ceasefire and Separation of Forces Agreement of May 14, 1994. During the 14 years of the peacekeeping mission, more than 70,000 servicemen served as part of the CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces, 117 of them sacrificed their lives for peace and security in Abkhazia.
The flower-laying ceremony was a tribute to the heroic deeds of the Russian military, who ensured peace and stability in Abkhazia at the cost of their own lives.
