Mikheil Saakashvili attended a concert headed by a renowned Russian conductor Mikhail Arkadiev in the great hall of the Conservatory. Mikhail Arkadiev is one more famous Russian artist who has been persecuted by the Russian government because of his political beliefs. He asked the President and the government of Georgia for a citizenship of Georgia and to continue his musical career in the country. At the end of the concert, Arkadiev addressed the audience from the stage. The conductor sat at the piano and performed two compositions for the President and the Georgian people, as a symbol of friendship between the two nations. He said that it was his gift to all those people who love Georgia. The famous artist gave the library of the State Conservatory a book published in the 90s as a present and he gave the President a piano music disc of German philosopher - Friedrich Nietzsche's.
After the end of the concert, the President of Georgia gave the Russian conductor a Georgian citizen passport. Mikheil Saakashvili noted that, he was very touched by the letter in which the famous conductor was requesting citizenship of Georgia. According to the President, the citizenship of Georgia is not a sign of ethnic identity or relative belonging - it is the sign of freedom and the idea of a free people. On his part, Mikhail Arkadiev stated that it is a tremendous honor for him, however it was unexpected.
Mikheil Saakashvili:
I greet you Mikhail! I am addressing you in such a way because the name of the father is not written in a Georgian passport.
First of all I thank you for today's concert.
Georgian audiences are very demanding because they are spoiled by foreign and Georgian high class performers.
I assure you that the reaction you caused today was honest.
The audience has accepted you and fell in love with you from the first concert. I congratulate you on this.
I was very touched by your letter, requesting citizenship.
Georgian citizenship is not a sign of ethnic identity, of belonging to a particular language or relation to the country.
In my opinion it is an idea; an idea of freedom and free people.
Therefore, every free person has the right to become a citizen of a free country, Georgia.
So, I decided to reply to your letter with great pleasure.
Today, when kind will is not enough or does not exist on a state level, people with kind will are needed; Like never before, we need people who will appreciate a connection to each other, the good qualities in each other and everything acceptable and cordial; In spite of everything they will deepen relations so that our nations don't lose each other.
Of course our cultures are developing at the same pace - simultaneously or in a parallel way, but in any case, the distance will not grow unless we lose this connection.
The fact that we are glad to see you in Georgia means a lot in this regard.
We are not only ready to accept a good citizen of the new Georgia but a talented person as well.
Georgia is a country of talented people, especially talented musicians.
In you, we are accepting an honorary citizen, who was able to remain free in his home country and he did this for us and for the free people of the world.
That's why, without extra political statements, I would like to greet a new free citizen of free Georgia - Mikhail Arkadiev, and I would like to give him a passport of freedom, the passport of my country".
Mikhail Arkadiev:
Mr. President, dear friends, this is a great honor for me and unexpected.
I didn't expect kind will and I want this moment to be important...
Those who have always love Georgia its culture, poetry, and music share special kind of diplomacy of intellectuality and intelligence that overcomes hatred...
I hope these minutes will be like the first swallow.
I am keeping the citizenship of Russia - I am a Russian musician and this is diplomacy for me.
They say that private diplomacy does not exist, but apparently it does.
Mr. President, I want to give you a piano music disc of a German philosopher - Friedrich Nietzsche, as a present. And this book was published in Moscow in the early 90s. I am its author. The book is about European music and its content is philosophical. I would like to give this book as a gift to the Tbilisi State Conservatory.
This is a great honor for me, and means a lot to me.
This is a sign of my great love towards Georgia and no matter what kind of state conflicts take place, human contacts and art will always be the most important.
I am going back to Russia tomorrow and let's see what happens - I am ready for anything.