The United States, the European Union, and other Western states have reiterated their support for Georgia's sovereign and territorial integrity as the country marks the 16th anniversary of a brief war with Russia even as its ruling party appears to be turning back toward Moscow.
Late on August 7, 2008, Georgian troops rolled into the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia in an attempt to reclaim the territory from what Tbilisi said was growing Russian militarization.
The conflict erupted into a five-day war in which Russian forces drove deep into Georgia before pulling back in the wake of a European Union-brokered peace agreement.
The conflict, which Tbilisi and Moscow accuse one another of starting, left hundreds dead and drove thousands from their homes.
After the war, Russia left thousands of troops in South Ossetia and another breakaway region in Georgia, Abkhazia, and recognized both as independent countries.
Marking the anniversary of the conflict, the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement on Facebook saying that the August 2008 events "continue to have an impact on Georgians."
"Russia's ongoing violations of the 2008 ceasefire agreement highlight the continued struggle for peace and stability in the region. The United States continues to advocate for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in its internationally recognized borders," the U.S. Embassy's statement said.
The British Embassy in the Georgian capital also expressed London's support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that the U.K. remembered "those killed, injured and displaced by Russia’s brutal and illegal actions."
Pursuit of EU and NATO membership remains embedded in the post-Soviet Caucasus nation's constitution, but the current Georgian government's passage of a perceived Russian-style law to curb media and NGOs has dealt a blow to both efforts.
The ruling party Georgian Dream is perceived by many in the West of a recent turn toward anti-Western rhetoric and authoritarian practices since the passing of a controversial "foreign agent" law, which imposes tight controls on foreign-funded media and NGOs that get more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Russia has used that same designation to clamp down on opposition and independent media.
SEE ALSO: Georgian Dream Plays Geopolitics To Shore Up Support At HomeThe EU ambassador to Georgia said that Georgia's accession has been halted as a result of the Georgian Dream government's actions and that he hoped Georgians would make "the right choice" in the upcoming elections.
In noting the August 7 anniversary, the 27-nation bloc voiced its "condemnation of Russia's continued military presence in the occupied breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in violation of both international law and of Russia's commitments under the 12 August 2008 six-point agreement."
"The human rights of conflict-affected communities in Georgia continue to be violated, including through 'borderization' policies, closures of crossing points and illegal detentions by the Russian military and de facto authorities," the EU said in a statement.
"Restrictions on freedom of movement must end, violations of human rights must be investigated, and justice must be ensured for all victims," it added while expressing its "unwavering support to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders."
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the Foreign Ministry of Norway, foreign ministers of Estonia and Lithuania -- Margus Tsahkna and Ingrida Simonyte, were among other foreign entities and politicians who expressed their support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity on August 7.