His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia receives the Vice-Speaker of the Georgian Parliament on the eve of the CIS Summit in Kishinev

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA RECEIVES THE VICE-SPEAKER OF THE GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT ON THE EVE OF THE CIS SUMMIT IN KISHINEV

On 4 October 2002 His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia received a delegation headed by Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, deputy chairman of the Parliament of Georgia. Taking part in the meeting were Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia in Russia Zurab Abashidze, Georgian businessmen and workers of culture. The vice-speaker handed His Holiness Patriarch a symbolic millionth signature beneath the appeal of Georgian citizens and emigrants from Georgia to the presidents and governments of Georgia and Russia to resume friendly and good-neighborly relations between the two nations of the same faith. The signatures were collected during the ‘Russia is my Neighbour’ peacemaking action, which was held with the blessing of His Holiness and Beatitude Catholic-Patriarch Iliya II of All Georgia. A clergyman of the Georgian Orthodox Church Archpriest Ilyia Pasidze put the millionth signature to the appeal.

During the talk with the guests the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that common Orthodox faith has united the Russian and Georgian people for many centuries. These ties have been tested by time and must now help peaceful solution of all problems, which appear in the relationships between the two states.

His Holiness underlined: ‘The very fact of collecting a million of signatures testifies to the wish of people to have fraternal relations with Russia. Politicians should reckon with public opinion. I am sure that the present coolness in the relations between Russia and Georgia is a historical misunderstanding, a temporary thing, which we shall soon overcome with God’s help’.

His Holiness notified President Vladimir Putin of Russia of the talk on the eve of the meeting of the heads of the CIS states in Kishinev, which opened on October 6^th.