EU respects Georgian Orthodox Church
By Jamila Babayeva
The European Union respects the Georgian Orthodox Church and its role in the life of the country's population.
The remarks were made by the EU representative office in Georgia on April 15.
"Myth: The Association Agreement infringes on the authority of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Fact: The EU respects the Georgian Orthodox Church and its significant role in the life of the Georgian people," the representative office's statement reads.
Georgia initialed the Association Agreement with the EU at the Vilnius summit dedicated to the European Union's 'Eastern Partnership' countries - ex-Soviet states- on November 29, 2013.
Signing the Association Agreement is scheduled for August 2014.
Georgian State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexi Petriashvili said the Association Agreement will be signed by June.
The document further noted that European Commissioner Stefan Fule met with Patriarch Ilia II in March 2014 and they talked about the political association and Georgia's economic integration with the EU. "The Patriarch expressed his unconditional support for Georgia's European choice."
The EU once again explains that the signing of the association agreement does not endanger the Georgian culture and traditions.