Delegation of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy paid an official visit to Georgia

Dr. Maximos Harakopoulos, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAP), member of the Greek Parliament, arrived in Tbilisi to participate in the meeting of the IAP International Secretariat held within the walls of the Georgian Parliament. During the visit, the delegation held a number of significant meetings with political and spiritual leaders of the country, with a special focus on supporting the Greek Diaspora and strengthening inter-Orthodox ties.

According to Orthodoxia News Agency, Dr. Harakopoulos met with the Mayor of Tsalka Ilia Anabadze, Vice Mayor Theocharis Paraskevopoulos and Bishop Grigori of Tsalka during the trip. Representatives of the Greek Embassy and IAP Counselor Kostas Migdalis participated in the discussion. The Head of IAP emphasized that Greece has always supported its compatriots and Orthodox brothers in Georgia, noting the historical significance of the presence of Greeks in the Tsalka region, despite the migration processes of recent decades.

Special attention was paid to the work with compatriots. In Tbilisi, the delegation visited the headquarters of the Federation of Greek Communities of Georgia. Harakopoulos expressed his appreciation for the “rich activities of the federation, especially in the study of the Greek language” and noted the active role of the Association of Greek Youth of Tbilisi, calling their activities a source of hope for the future of Hellenism in Georgia.

The centerpiece of the visit was a meeting at the Patriarchate of Georgia with Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne. Maximos Harakopoulos expressed deep condolences on the death of Patriarch Ilia II, characterizing him as “a learned and gentle hierarch who became a symbol of unity of the Georgian people and a figure of universal Orthodoxy”. In response, Metropolitan Shio thanked the delegation for honoring the memory of the deceased Primate and noted the importance of the IAP in uniting Christians around common traditions.

At the end of the visit, the IAP members took part in the requiem liturgy for Patriarch Ilia II, which was celebrated by Father Giorgi Zviadadze, Rector of the Tbilisi Theological Academy. The delegation also received an official invitation to participate in the large-scale celebrations on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the baptism of Georgia, which will be held in October this year.