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. 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.

“Discussions are taking place in internet recently about a documentary film, Reservist, aired by the TV company, Sakartvelo, in 2008. Authors of the film use an aggressive quotation by Adolf Hitler. This part of the film is distributed in internet as a TV spot and aims at cheap political goals to discredit the Georgian Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces. The Georgian Ministry of Defense states, that the film and especially the use of Adolf Hitler’s quotation did not and does not reflect the position of the Georgian Ministry of Defense. It represents a personal initiative and vision of the author of the film. The Ministry of Defense categorically distances itself from the quotation used in the film and from the vision of the authors,” the Georgian MoD said in a written statement.