On a visit to Tbilisi, President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia.
On behalf of the Armenian nation and on his own behalf the President congratulated the Catholicos on the 40th anniversary of enthronement, emphasizing the efforts he has taken towards the strengthening of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the course of four decades.
The President thanked the Catholicos for his prayers for the reinforcement and deepening of friendship between the Armenian and Georgian peoples.
The interlocutors attached importance to the relations between the state and the church. Serzh Sargsyan valued the role of the Armenian Church in the life of the Armenian nation, especially at times of lack of statehood.
Stressing that Armenia and Georgia are tied by centuries-old friendship, President Sargsyan noted that the traditions of friendship are built on the basis of common Christian and cultural values and history.
The parties attached importance to the role of the Armenian Apostolic and the Georgian Orthodox Churches in the development of good-neighborly relations between the two countries.
Patriarch Ilya II asked President Sargsyan to convey his warm greetings to His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
