Azernews.Az

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili invited Pope Francis to visit Georgia.

The president extended the invitation during the meeting with the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Georgian presidential administration reported.

The two sides discussed the topical issues of Georgian-Vatican relations and emphasized the importance of intensifying these ties.

Margvelashvili expressed gratitude to Archbishop Mamberti for Vatican's support to Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The archbishop, for his part, pointed out that Vatican highly appreciates the friendly relations with Georgia and will continue to support this country.

The two sides also had discussions on the fate of Christian cultural monuments in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Large scale military action was launched between Georgia and Russia in South Ossetia on August 8, 2008. Later, Russian troops occupied Tskhinvali and expelled the Georgian military.

Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in late August. In response, Tbilisi ended diplomatic relations with Moscow and has called the two unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occupied territories.