Georgian Patriarch Praises `Historic’ Visit to Russia
Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II
© RIA Novosti. Sergei Pyatakov
TBILISI, January 27 (RIA Novosti) – The Catholicos-Patriarch of the
Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, praised his five-day visit to
Russia as `historic’ upon his arrival to Georgia late on Saturday.
`With God’s help, my visit was successful, and I think it was a
historic visit and good results will follow,’ he told journalists.
The 80-year-old Catholicos-Patriarch, Georgia’s most trusted public
figure who is often referred to as the nation’s spiritual leader, came
to Moscow last Sunday.
Although the official purpose of the visit was to receive a
prestigious award on Monday from a Russian Orthodox Church-affiliated
foundation for his contribution to fostering the unity of Orthodox
Christian nations, he also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin
on Wednesday and `relayed greetings’ from the Georgian Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Georgia and Russia cut diplomatic ties after the 2008 conflict over
South Ossetia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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