The delegation of the State Agency for Religious Issues continues a working visit to the State of Romania. Within the visit, the Deputy Chairman of the agency Giorgi Ukleba held a meeting with the head of the Anthim the Iberian Monastery of Bucharest, the Bishop Varlam of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

At the meeting, Giorgi Ukleba talked about the religious diversity in Georgia and the projects implemented by the state in the protection of freedom of religion. The role of mutual co-operation with the State Secretariat of the Romanian Religious Affairs in this regard was highlighted.

The Romanian bishop particularly appreciated the Inter-Religious Council under the  State Agency for Religious Issues, where there is a  Round Table discussion and the state involvement is ensured. According to the bishop, the Romanians are well aware of the history of Georgia and noted that Georgia and Romania have a lot of common values.

At the meeting, they also touched upon the modern challenges in the field of religion, the ways of solving them and the issues of developing religious tourism.

In the end, the bishop noted that on the previous week 40 Romanian clergymen visited Georgia to go on a pilgrimage to holy places. He recalled the visit to Georgia with great warmth when he met with the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II together with other higher clergymen.