Christianity came to our country as early as the first century through the preaching of the Holy Apostles, while the historic choice made 17 centuries ago irreversibly determined the path of our nation. The values of the Gospel became the cornerstone of our statehood, culture, identity and national consciousness, making Georgia an integral part of the European Christian world and one of its oldest contributors. It was stated by Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia in his address at the international conference on Foundations of European Civilization and 1700 Years of Christianity in Georgia.

The Head of Government of Georgia noted that, over the centuries, as the country stood at the crossroads of great empires and civilizations, the Orthodox faith enabled the country to preserve its identity. He emphasized that, throughout this uninterrupted historic journey, the contribution of the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church and of Georgia's outstanding spiritual and public figures has been immeasurable.

“The contribution of His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the first Patriarch of modern, independent Georgia, is truly epochal. It was his leadership, imbued with love and wisdom that ensured the deep-rooted establishment of Christian values in the foundations of our newly restored independent state. Patriarch Ilia II safeguarded and strengthened the spiritual unity of the nation and built a strong bridge connecting our centuries-old heritage with modern Georgian statehood.

Today, as the European space faces serious political, ideological, demographic and value-based challenges, it is more important than ever to recognize that European civilization emerged from Christian morality, the inviolability of human dignity and the ideals of freedom. This is the solid foundation that defines the identity of European nations and safeguarding it is more relevant today than ever before.

Our path toward the common European family is founded precisely on the genuine values that created this great civilization itself. Georgia will continue steadfastly along this path in the future-we will preserve our traditions, our spiritual identity and our centuries-old heritage”, - said Irakli Kobakhidze.

He thanked the organizers of the international conference and the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy and expressed hope that the discussions would make an important contribution to strengthening a shared European future and spiritual values.

The opening of the conference featured addresses by President Mikheil Kavelashvili; His Holiness and Beatitude Shio III, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia; Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili; Maximos Charakopoulos, Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy; Irakli Kadagishvili, Head of the Georgian Parliamentary Delegation to the Assembly.

The event was attended by representatives of Georgia’s executive and legislative authorities, parliamentary delegations from various countries and representatives of the Patriarchate of Georgia.