Representatives of Georgia’s Armenian community, led by the Head of the Georgian Armenian Diocese Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian and the Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Hrach Silvanian visited on January 10 the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II offered - on behalf of the Georgian Church – Season’s congratulations to the Armenian people, the Armenian Church, and the Catholicos of All Armenians. His Holiness was reported to express once again his respect and friendly love for all the Armenians and called for commitment to the centuries-old fraternity and friendship between Armenia and Georgia, expressing hope that the issues of concern to the Churches and the peoples of the two countries will be solved by common efforts. Patriarch Ilia also expressed hope that the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II will pay a brotherly visit to Georgia this year. A scheduled visit of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II was postponed in 2010 as the Georgian Patriarch was said to be ill. According to the press service of the Georgian Armenian Diocese, during the meeting, speeches were made by Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Ambassador Hrach Silvanian, editor-in-chief of Georgia newspaper Van Bayburtian, public figure Givi Shakhnazar, and representative of the Union of Armenian Businessmen of Georgia Samvel Aghekian. The Georgian Armenian delegation handed a work by the famous painter Lev Boyakhchev to the Patriarch of Georgia.

---