Hitler quote scandal in Saakashvili’s Georgia

This Georgian video (with English subtitles) says about itself:

Georgian Defense Ministry TV quotes Hitler

The Nazi Adolf Hitler is quoted at the end of this reservists’ recruitment spot: “We need to finally understand that regaining our territories is possible only through the power of arms”. The spot was broadcast by the Georgian Defence Ministry TV “Sakartvelo” in late July 2008.

From Civil Georgia, in Tbilisi:

MoD Distances itself from Film with Hitler’s Quote

20 Jan.’10 / 12:27

The Georgian Ministry of Defense released a statement on January 19 distancing itself from a documentary film featuring a quote by Adolf Hitler, which was aired by Tbilisi-based Sakartvelo TV eighteen months ago.

Sakartvelo TV, a television station affiliated with the Georgian MoD, aired the film, promoting service in the reserve troops, in July, 2008.

The film was called Reservist.

In one episode the film shows young men enrolling in the reserve forces and subtitles accompanied by a voiceover saying: “’It must be thoroughly understood that the lost land will never be won back by solemn prayers, nor by hopes in any League of Nations, but only by the force of arms.’ Adolf Hitler, 1932.”

The film, aired by the TV station whose audience is far smaller than of major national television stations, went mainly unnoticed, triggering no major reaction within Georgia. But the issue resurfaced recently with the issue debated on Georgian internet discussion forums and social networking websites triggering the Georgian MoD to release the statement.

Apparently, the military propaganda film directors saw a parallel between the Führer’s 1932 desire of reconquest of western Poland for Germany, League of Nations or no League of Nations; and the present desire of Georgian strongman Mikheil Sakaashvili of military reconquest of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, United Nations or no United Nations. And the directors considered that OK.

A pro-regime television news broadcast in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, depicting Russian forces invading the country, was an effort to portray the Georgian opposition as traitorous and encourage anti-Russian sentiment: here.