Azerbaijani clerical leader attends Georgian Patriarch's enthronement anniversary
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan's clerical leader visited the Georgian capital Tbilisi last week to attend events devoted to the 35th anniversary of the enthronement of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II and his 80th birthday.
The Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) chairman, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, led a delegation on its visit to Tbilisi. It also included CMO deputy chairman Salman Musayev, Azerbaijani parliament members Javanshir Pashazade and Huseynbala Miralamov, and bishop of the Baku and Azerbaijan eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexander Ishein.
The delegation members laid a wreath at the bust of Azerbaijan's late national leader, former President Heydar Aliyev in Tbilisi, visited outstanding Azerbaijani playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundzade's house museum and became familiar with the construction of the building of the Azerbaijani embassy in Georgia.
The CMO chairman also met representatives of the Azerbaijani community in Georgia. He spoke of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's care and attention to Azerbaijanis living abroad, particularly in the neighboring South Caucasus republic.
Then Pashazade met representatives of religious communities in Georgia.
The clerical leader praised Azerbaijan-Georgia relationship in various fields. He also expressed confidence that Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili`s recent visit to Azerbaijan and his meeting with President Aliyev would contribute to boosting relationship between the two countries.
Pashazade met Georgian Prime Minister Ivanishvili and Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili last Thursday.
Pashazade spoke of the role of Ilia II in strengthening the friendly and fraternal relations between the Azerbaijani and Georgian people.
Ivanishvili, in turn, said he had fruitful talks with the president during his visit to Azerbaijan. The prime minister said Aliyev had more experience and the Azerbaijani leader gave him very useful advice.
"We decided to maintain the current level of cooperation and mutual understanding between Azerbaijan and Georgia," Ivanishvili added.
During the meeting with David Usupashvili, MPs Javanshir Pashazade and Huseynbala Miralamov discussed relations between the two countries' legislative bodies.
The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia thanked Pashazade for
the visit. He said friendly and fraternal relations between the two
religious leaders contribute to the development of the two peoples'
relationship.
Ilia II said, "We have not lost our territories, but we have
temporarily lost control over our territories." According to him,
as Abkhazia and South Ossetia are Georgian lands, Nagorno-Karabakh
has always been and will be Azerbaijani territory.
Pashazade presented the "Sheikhulislam" order to Ilia II for his contribution to the development of cultural relations in the Caucasus region and CIS, expansion of dialogue among religions and peoples, as well as strengthening of friendly ties between the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Caucasus Muslims Office.