13 June 2009, 10:00
Elias the Second asks UN Secretary General to support Georgia's integrity
On June 12, Patriarch of Georgia Elias the Second sent a personal letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations asking him to support the territorial integrity of Georgia.
"I hereby ask the members of the United Nations and, in particular, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, to find peaceful methods and opportunities for restoring the territorial integrity of Georgia. I address you with a great hope. The world faces many global challenges in need of addressing, but the true is above all these challenges. The true even of such a small country like Georgia," runs the appeal of the Patriarch as quoted by the "News Georgia" Agency.
"I want to note that the whole population of Georgia sticks to one opinion - the territorial integrity of Georgia should be restored. We want the peace reign in the Caucasus. I also want to note that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are inseparable parts of Georgia. I personally was the Metropolitan of Abkhazia for eleven years, and I think that it should be within Georgia," says the Patriarch's appeal. Elias the Second has added that it is necessary for Abkhazians and Ossetians themselves, as reported by the "Gazeta.Ru".