Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has visited the Georgian Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in St Petersburg, which was built with the financial support of the Georgian Diaspora in Russia. At the church, Saakashvili spoke about the details of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and commented on the state of Georgian-Russian relations.

"Yesterday I held talks with the Russian president. We have always supported holding dialogue and are constantly doing so. The Russian side has undertaken an obligation to gradually lift the restrictions it has imposed. This is their obligation and I hope that they will fulfil it," Saakashvili said.

The church's priest gifted Saakashvili an icon, after which the Georgian president addressed representatives of the Georgian Diaspora gathered there.

"I welcome all of you and I want to thank you for your hospitality! We love all of you very much.

"Each one of you and your ties to your country are very important.

"During the years when Georgia was nothing, you spared your families from death with your hard work. I want to thank you for your especially honourable deeds last year. The events of last year were aimed at undermining your honour, aimed at making you say no to your dignity. The most honourable responses came precisely from St Petersburg.

"I want to thank you for your bravery and to promise you that your country will appreciate you.

"We have to fulfil our own tasks ourselves. No-one will do it in our stead. I have on many occasions become convinced that we have strong friends who will never sacrifice us, but if we are not strong ourselves, nothing will come of us. We will fully achieve everything. We must work to further strengthen that which we have accomplished.

"You have been following the news on Georgian TV stations, which show a lot of bad news. This is one of the principles of television. In fact, many good things are happening. Many more good things are happening than they are showing. We are becoming much stronger than anyone thinks, so do not be afraid of anything.

"Our country is on the right path. Our main objective concerns those people who were expelled from their homes. This is a temporary phenomenon.

"Everyone must return to Georgia. We have a precise plan and strategy. We will spare no efforts to achieve this goal. Our generation much accomplish this so that our children no longer experience such problems. We will do our utmost to ensure that this is over soon. Georgia had been in a cycle of destruction and was akin to a scattered bunch of stones. Now it is time to gather up these stones and rebuild our country.

"We have gone through a lot. Everything that was to be destroyed has been destroyed. I assure you that anyone who has been in any number of Georgian cities recently would become convinced that Georgia is developing much faster than anyone could imagine.

"I want to thank you for preserving Georgian culture and the Georgian language for your children. I want to thank you for the fact that we are together.

"Georgia is in no way a country just for ethnic Georgians. Georgia is a country that is comprised of ethnic Georgians, Ossetians, Abkhaz, Jews, Russians and Azeris who have left Georgia.

"We must all be together. All in all there are 10-11 million people who have left Georgia or are linked to it in some way. They are all Georgians, as are the members of your families who are from this country.

"We will do our utmost to ensure that these people are granted dual citizenship. I understand well that there have been problems with consular services. We will certainly resolve these problems. Russia is deliberating opening a general consulate in St Petersburg. I hope this issue will be resolved.

"We will find a way and we will do all we can so that your legal ties to Georgia are restored. We can afford to lose no children. We all belong to Georgia.

"God bless you and this holy church!

"May God watch over our country and over each and every one of you!

"Your homeland is standing by you!" President Saakashvili said.

Communications Office
of the President of Georgia