In 1999, at the end of the XX century, I had an opportunity to host the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II , we had a chance to visit the island of Texel in the Netherlands. We honored the memory of the Georgian soldiers who died heroically in World War II. The words the Patriarch told me at that time defined my whole life: 

My dear Tika, Georgians like you will save Georgia. You ought to return to your country. Just return. Your motherland will always be waiting for you. These words were imprinted in my mind forever as the main goal and belief of my life.

I have returned to Texel several times since then. This island is not only the symbol of Georgia-Netherlands friendship but also the symbol of the victory and pain they experienced. Every time I found myself in front of the graves of the heroes of Texel, I saw the ugly symbol of the USSR– the hammer and the sickle instead of the Georgian flag. This saddened my heart. The Soviet government tried to appropriate the history of the Texel uprising like everything else. But I want to make it clear that it was Georgian soldiers that died there during the spring of 1945. Yes, they were Georgians to the bone and not representatives of the non-existing and invented Soviet nationality…

It was on Texel where the last battle of World War II took place. This fact is still unknown to many. While Great Britain and the Soviet Union were celebrating the victory in World War II, Georgian rebels were engaged in a relentless and brutal battle against Hitler’s troops just a few tens of kilometers away from Amsterdam, on the island of Texel in the Netherlands. Despite the fact that the enemy was superior in numbers and had more weapons, no one intended to surrender. In the end, two brotherly nations, the Georgians and the Dutch wrote a sad history of victory together. Only 228 soldiers survived out of 800. The others were killed with their Dutch friends by the Fascists. 

That’s the reason why I made my decision to erect a memorial plaque on the Georgian War Cemetery on Texel and immortalize the memory of the Georgian fighters. I introduced this initiative to the local self-government and financed its implementation. I don’t want my little Georgia, an ancient and independent Christian country, to be associated with the Soviet past enforced upon us …

As it seems small nations like Georgia share the same fate- we always fight for independence. We fight to have a sovereign state, i.e. we fight to own and rule our national identity. 

Georgia’s history is one of a never-ending aspiration for gaining and maintaining freedom. It’s the history of dedication, heroism and sacrifice. 

Freedom and life are synonyms for Georgians. We believe life is only worth living in freedom. This idea and principle have saved us. We’d better die in the search for freedom rather than be happy in slavery. This is our worldview. 

I’ve often thought one particular person can never be free in a homeland under the yoke of slavery. Perhaps the heroes of Texel had the same thoughts…

I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Sulkhan Amiranashvili, researcher of the Texel revolt chronicles, and the sculptor, Mr. David (Devi) Khmaladze.