Georgian Patriarch called on Putin to stop the occupation of Abkhazia and Ossetia

In his new year's speech, Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin and called on him to stop the occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (i.e., "Southern Ossetia").

This is reported by Cerkvarium that cites Georgia-online.

"I want to take this opportunity to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin - the occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali must end. We must remember that Georgia is the inheritance of the Most Holy Theotokos."

The reaction of the Abkhazian side is already known. Thus, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, Daur Kove, wrote on his Facebook page: may God forgive you for your hypocrisy. For we all remember Your instructions to Georgian soldiers in 1992 to kill Abkhazians and Ossetians ... We live in our Homeland - the Republic of Abkhazia.

It is obvious that the issue of the territories occupied by Russia will become the current trend in relations between the GOC and the ROC, and may become one of the factors influencing the recognition of the OCU, Cerkvarium concludes.