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The newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, Shio III, has received Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan.
The information was released by the Embassy of Armenia in Georgia.
According to the embassy, Ambassador Smbatyan expressed gratitude for the warm reception and voiced confidence that the spiritual ministry of the new Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church would continue the Christian traditions established by his predecessors, further strengthening both the Church and the Georgian people.
The statement noted that, while extending his blessing to the Armenian people, the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian ambassador, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia emphasized the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Georgian peoples and the shared Christian value system that has helped both nations preserve and shape their identities throughout history.
Shio III also referred to contemporary challenges, stressing that faithfulness to spiritual and national values, as well as the preservation of identity, remains the only path to overcoming them.
Speaking about the close relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church, he reaffirmed the Georgian Church’s willingness and commitment to further deepen and develop those ties.