A commemorative star plaque has been opened for deceased Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania at the European University building in Tbilisi, marking Georgia’s chairmanship of CoE and the deceased official’s upcoming birthday on December 9.

A hall named after Zhvania has also been opened at the university and a book was presented to the public which comes with Zhvania’s official statements, speeches and interviews, including the historic words he pronounced at the CoE assembly 20 years ago, when Georgia became the 41st member of the council: “I am Georgian, and therefore I am European”.

The fourth Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili also attended the event.

“This is a politician whose work is not limited to the phrase we know: “I am Georgian, and therefore I am European”. Much richer and much more important was his work behind this phrase. It was a man who brought the European tradition to the Parliament”, - said Giorgi Margvelashvili.

According to Carl Hartzell, the Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, he was honored to be involved in the event, even though he did not know Zurab Zhvania personally.