On 2 October, during his visit to Greece, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili visited the Georgian-built Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos. While he was there, the Bishop of Chqondidi gave the first sermon in the Georgian language there for centuries.

Saakashvili gave the bishop of the monastery a Georgian icon and an illustrated book about Georgia. The bishop assessed the president's visit as a historical event and said it was the continuation of Giorgi Mtatsmindeli's legacy. Saakashvili was shown manuscripts by Ekvtime Mtatsmindeli, as well as parts of Tornike Eristavi's chainmail hauberk.

Afterwards, the president travelled to Thessaloniki, where he met representatives of the Georgian diaspora. Saakashvili noted that Georgia had opened a general consulate in that city which seeks to help Georgians acquire Georgian citizenship. In a speech in Thessaloniki, Saakashvili recalled the 20,000 Greeks who lived in Sukhumi and were expelled by the Abkhaz separatists, saying that they all must return to the city.

"We must return to our homes, we must reclaim those homes and our territory. This is very important. We will not give those houses away to anyone. We have a programme entitled My House [for registering abandoned property in Abkhazia]. We have opened a Georgian consulate in Thessaloniki that can provide you with all the services you need. The personnel are there to serve Georgian citizens with a smile. Our goal is to involve you in the My House programme and give you certificates of ownership for your property. As you know, procedures for obtaining Georgian citizenship have been greatly simplified; I have already signed several dozen decrees granting dual citizenship. I want to urge all of you to apply for dual citizenship. The process takes just a few weeks and afterwards you will receive a Georgian passport," the president said.

Saakashvili also answered a question by Nana Dzidziguri, a native of Kutaisi now living in Greece. He said that ambitious rebuilding efforts would soon get under way in Kutaisi, much as Batumi, Zugdidi, Sighnaghi and other Georgian towns have been rebuilt. The Georgian president promised her that Kutaisi would change noticeably in the next year and become a truly beautiful city.

Pres Office
of the President of Georgia