Saakashvili in Prague at Havel’s Funeral

Saakashvili met Havel and awarded him with St. George’s Victory Order in Prague on October 10, 2011. Photo from Georgian President’s website.

President Saakashvili was among over dozen of world leaders, who bid farewell to former Czech President Václav Havel at a state funeral in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle on Friday.

"He was one of the greatest political leaders of our time… and unimaginably huge friend of Georgia," Saakashvili said on December 20.

Saakashvili met Havel and awarded the anti-communist dissident, who led the peaceful 1989 Velvet Revolution, with St. George’s Victory Order in Prague on October 10, 2011.

The Georgian President said on December 20, that after the August, 2008 war, when "some elements emerged in Europe – although in absolute minority, but there were some – who tried to justify aggressor’s actions and to put some blame on the victim, Georgia, Václav Havel made a very clear-cut statement in support of Georgia."

"We should never forget what Havel has done for Georgia," Saakashvili said.

In an October 2008 interview with The Associated Press Havel criticized Russia for invading Georgia and warned EU leaders against appeasing Moscow. “We should not turn a blind eye … It’s a big test for the West,” he said.

In an open letter in September, 2009 Havel and a group of European intellectuals called on the EU to stand by Georgia and "to define a proactive strategy to help Georgia peacefully regain its territorial integrity and obtain the withdrawal of Russian forces illegally stationed on Georgian soil."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, former Polish President Lech Walesa, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as well as Slovak, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Estonian, Austrian and German Presidents were among the foreign dignitaries attending the funeral.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)